Inside to Outside
by cyberwulf
Summary: COMPLETE. What if, instead of a Fyarl demon, Ethan had turned Giles into something else?
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Inside to Outside 1/?

**Author:** Cyberwulf

**Rating:** 12s (PG-13), will be 15s (R)

**Disclaimer:** Joss and ME own all the characters, and have shares in the plot.

**Spoilers:** Takes place during and instead of "A New Man"; contains dialogue from "A New Man".

**Summary:** What if, instead of a Fyarl demon, Ethan had turned Giles into something else?

**Distribution:** Ask me first, and tell me where it's going.

**Feedback:** Feed the Wulf! cyberwulf_1andonly@yahoo.co.uk

   " Everything's switching. Insides to outsides … Someone's come to change it all." – Drusilla, Hallowe'en.

***

   " You know what gets me?" Giles slurred. " This is what gets me…" He took a couple of deep breaths and steadied himself in his seat. " Twenty years I've been fighting demons. Maggie Walsh and her nancy ninja boys come and…" He hiccupped. " …six months later the demons are pissing themselves with fear." He shook his head slightly. "They never even notice me."

   " Who's Maggie Walsh?" Ethan asked. He wasn't really that interested. He gazed at the waitress as she walked past. God, she had a nice arse.

   " Oh, she's awful," Giles replied glumly, staring into his glass. " She said I was a…absent male role model." A brief, bitter smile appeared on his face. " Absent my arse." He raised the glass to his lips. " Though I'm twice the man she is…"

   " You know, you're really very attractive."

   " Hmm?"

   " Here's… my name and number…" Ethan slurred, jotting something down on a scrap of paper. Giles looked up at the waitress, who was picking up the empty glasses, and nodded in understanding. A flush of embarrassment crept up the back of his neck. He should've known better than to think Ethan was chatting him up – those days were long gone. 

   " You give me a call… I'll show you a good time." Ethan gave the waitress a tipsy smile as he handed her the paper.

   " Right," the waitress replied tersely. She was used to creeps hitting on her. It didn't matter, as long as they kept spending their money, and the bouncers sorted out anyone who got heavy. But this guy was especially slimy. She turned and got back to the bar as fast as she could.

   " We've gotta face it, we've changed…" Giles put his glass down. " Well, not you, you're still… sadistic and self-centred –"

   " Here's to me," Ethan replied with a grin.

   " The world has passed us by," Giles continued. His expression changed to one of wonder. " Someone… snuck in and left a couple of clapped-out has-beens in our place…" He looked up at Ethan and tried to focus. " I mean, this… Initiative. Their methods may be questionable but they're getting the job done." He sat up straighter, ignoring the wave of dizziness that cascaded over him. " What am I? I'm an unemployed librarian with a tendency to get knocked on the head and then…"

   " Well, you won't have to worry about that any more, mate," Ethan said matter-of-factly. " When you went to the loo I slipped a small pellet of poison in your drink." He paused for effect. " You'll be dead in an hour."

   A cold feeling of dread washed over Giles as he stared at Ethan in disbelief. He suddenly wanted to be sick. An image of Buffy flashed through his mind. How could he have been so stupid as to go drinking with Ethan Rayne?

   The sorcerer stared back at him… then broke into a grin.

   " Just kidding!" he exclaimed, cracking up. It was infectious, and Giles collapsed into laughter. Ethan sobered a little and gazed at his old friend. It had been a long time since he'd seen Ripper really happy. From what he could remember of his mate's drunken ramblings – the evening, like the room, was getting a little fuzzy around the edges – the brats treated him like shit. Well, when they remembered to talk to him at all. It made Ethan angry. Little bastards didn't deserve him. But try telling Ripper that. His self-esteem was so low these days, Ethan wouldn't be surprised if the former Watcher blamed himself for the way he'd been tossed aside. It made Ethan sad. It was one of the reasons he invited the beatings – making Rupert Giles angry turned him back into the fierce, powerful man he'd been twenty-five years ago.  

   Giles was coming down a little, grinning ruefully at himself and his situation. " I'm gonna feel like hell in the morning…"

   " Relax," Ethan replied. " Enjoy the night." He gave Ripper a smile. " You know, we're still a couple of old sorcerers," he remarked softly. " The night is still our time. A time of magic."

   Giles raised his shot glass of whiskey. " To magic."

   Ethan bumped his glass against Giles', and both men downed their drinks in one swallow. Giles banged his glass down on the table and his head almost followed it. He pushed himself up and leaned against the back of the seat. He sighed. Ethan copied him. Clearly Ripper wasn't done being maudlin. Still, if he needed someone to talk to, Ethan would listen. After himself, Ethan cared about exactly two people – his favourite nephew Donovan, and Ripper. He viewed the vast majority of the human race as a source of amusement, and was quite happy to spend the rest of his life alone. Ripper wasn't like that. Ripper needed human contact, emotional attachment, intimacy. A listening ear, a shoulder to cry on… a cuddle or a hug now and then. And he wasn't getting any of that, and none of his 'family' noticed or even cared. Ethan scowled briefly. Fucking kids.

   Giles traced a line in the condensation on his pint. " You know what else she did?"

   Ethan frowned in puzzlement. " Who?"

   " Maggie Walsh," Giles slurred patiently. " She said… Buffy lacked a father figure." He gave a mirthless chuckle. " She said that… right to my face." He leaned forward and held his thumb and finger close together. " Reeeaaally pointedly."

   " Yeah?"

   Giles squinted at his friend. Ethan was very blurry. He put his glasses on. It didn't help, so he took them off again.

   " Don't you get it?" he asked. " She only goes and assumes I'm Buffy's bloody dad… and then she tells me I'm crap at it." His head was nearly on the table again. Ethan reached out and gently pushed him backwards. " Thank you." He picked up his empty shot glass and studied it with a bewildered expression on his face. " Professor of psychology." He hiccupped, then grinned again. " Wonder what she'd say if she knew what I really wanted?"

   " What's that?" Ethan asked with a grin of his own, though he knew perfectly well what Giles meant. The other man's smile disappeared.

   " Oh, Ethan," he sighed. " I want…" He trailed off, unable to continue.

   " To throw Buffy down on your bed and fuck her till she can't move?" Ethan asked with a smirk.

   Giles' expression soured. " Yes, you would have to put it like that, wouldn't you?" He grew glum again, resting his cheek on his fist. " Oh, God, I love her. I love her so bloody much that I don't know what to do."

   To Ethan, the solution was obvious. " Why don't you just tell her?"

   Giles looked at Ethan as if he'd grown horns and a tail. " I can't tell her!" he replied. "She doesn't feel that way about me, and she never will." He had another mouthful of beer. " Besides, have you seen her latest boyfriend?" Ethan shook his head. " How am I supposed to compete with six foot two of clean-cut, athletic, sandy-haired all-American boy?" Giles continued. He grew bitter. " I'm just a walking library to her."

   Ethan had closed his eyes at Giles' description of Riley. " Sounds positively delicious," he purred. He opened his eyes again and leaned forward. " I could always seduce him for you."

   " Oh, please," Giles replied, making a face. 

   " Just because I'm comfortable with my bisexuality –"

   " You're not bisexual, Ethan, you're just a letch," Giles slurred.

   Ethan pretended to look wounded. " Now you've hurt my feelings."

   " Makes a change, me hurting people," Giles growled sourly. " Instead of me getting hurt…" He slipped sideways and Ethan dived across the table to catch him. " Oh. Ta."

   " Let's get you home," Ethan suggested.

   " Okay," Giles replied. " I'll just finish my pint…"

   Ethan looked down at the glass he'd knocked over with his elbow. " I think it's on the floor," he said apologetically. " Sorry."

   " 'S alright," Giles managed, as Ethan helped him to his feet. " American beer tastes like piss anyway…"

   Ethan was glad it wasn't far to Giles' place. The other man could barely walk and Ethan had to half-pull, half-carry him along the street. Ethan couldn't help giggling a bit.

   " What's funny?" Giles demanded.

   " Just wondering where you put it all," Ethan replied. " I haven't seen you this full in ages."

   " I've got two hollow legs," Giles answered, " and neither of them are working properly at the moment." He rested his head on Ethan's shoulder. " So don't drop me."

   " I promise," the sorcerer reassured him. He grinned. " I also promise not to take advantage of you when I'm putting you to bed."

   Giles snorted. " Chance 'ud be a fine thing. I can't remember the last time I was involved in any kind of advantage-taking…" He made a sound somewhere between a sigh and a moan, and his head slid forward onto his chest. " No-one wants you when you're old."

   " You're NOT old," Ethan insisted patiently.

   " I am," Giles replied. " That's all I am to them now." Ethan's eyes narrowed. There was no need to ask who 'they' were. " I'm not the Watcher," Giles continued, " I'm not the mentor or the sensei, I'm not the one with all the information any more. I'm just the old guy."

   " Pack of ungrateful little shits," Ethan spat. Giles straightened up as much as he could and gave Ethan a shove. 

   " Don't call them that," he growled, but without much conviction. He nearly fell and Ethan steadied him. He wrapped an arm around Giles' waist and rubbed his back.

   " I will call them that," Ethan murmured. " Nasty little brats, upsetting my Ripper. Making him feel old and useless."

   " It's not their fault," Giles slurred. " I mean, they're young, they're off making their way in the world…" He gazed blearily at Ethan. " Come on, when we were twenty and twenty-three, we didn't want to hang around with forty-six-year-olds, did we?" He sniffed. " We certainly didn't want to sleep with forty-six-year-old women…"

   " I did," Ethan replied.

   " Don't you remember our little conversation about you being a letch?"

   " I prefer to be called 'delightfully saucy'," Ethan remarked.

   Giles covered his face with one hand. " Oh, God, I think I'm going to be sick."

   Ethan halted on the footpath. " Rip, is this your house?"

   " Hmm?" Giles looked up. " Oh. Yes." Ethan helped him down the steps.

   " Keys?"

   Giles felt in all his pockets before he found them in the first pocket he'd checked. Ethan got the key in the lock on the second try, and managed to open the door on the fourth try. He pushed Giles inside.

   " You've never been in my house, have you?" Giles hiccupped.

   Ethan shook his head. Giles stood in the middle of the lounge and spun around slightly unsteadily, arms outstretched. 

   " Well, that's it."

   Ethan gazed around disinterestedly, noted that the décor was not to his taste, and shrugged his shoulders. " Very… neat." He approached his old friend. " Come on, I'll put you to bed." He took Giles' arm and pulled him upstairs.

   They had just reached the landing when Giles' legs packed in completely, and he slumped against Ethan. The warlock looped his arms under the former Watcher's, and hauled him to the bed. He heaved him up onto it and started taking Giles' shoes off. That done, Ethan got to work on Giles' jeans.

   " What you doing?" Giles slurred, raising his head slightly.

   " Relax," Ethan replied with a smile. " I'm just making you more comfortable." He tugged off the trousers, then gently wrestled Giles' sweater off. Giles dropped his head on the pillow and closed his eyes.

   " Thanks for listening to me," he mumbled. " I need someone to listen sometimes…" He passed out and began to snore gently. Ethan pulled the quilt over him and sat on the edge of the bed. He gazed down at the sleeping man and sighed. Poor Ripper. The idea that had been slowly forming in his head all night now began to push through the alcoholic fog in his brain. Ethan turned away. A slow smile crept over his face. Yes. This would make Ripper happy, and it would give those kids the kick in the arse they needed. It might even open a certain Slayer's eyes to what was right in front of her. He looked down at Ripper again. Of course, he really shouldn't do it. Which, for Ethan Rayne, was the only reason to do anything.

   He closed his eyes and chanted the spell softly under his breath, careful not to wake the man next to him. He leaned over and kissed Ripper on the forehead.

   " Sleep tight," he murmured, then rose and let himself out.

*** 

   Giles opened his eyes a crack. There was a giant fly buzzing around his head. After a couple of seconds he realised it was his alarm clock. Mercifully, it clicked off automatically. Giles closed his eyes again and groaned. He wanted to stay in bed, but the full feeling in his bladder made that impossible. He threw off the covers and made his way into the bathroom.

   He whistled idly while he went, but gave up quickly as the sound shot through his head like nails on a blackboard. He flushed and washed his hands.

   " God, I feel like hell in the morning," he muttered, as he flicked the cabinet mirror closed.

   Giles let out a startled yell at the sight that greeted him. He touched his face to make sure it was him and gave a little jump back. No lines. No wrinkles. He turned his head to the side. No grey. He ran his hand through his hair. His longer, thicker, darker hair. Giles looked down and touched his chest. It felt different. Quickly, he shucked off his T-shirt and gasped. His pectorals were firmer, better sculpted. The belly he'd been noticing with increasing apprehension these past few years was gone. Hangover forgotten, he stared at his reflection in disbelief. 

   He was a young man.

***

   " I like pancakes, because they're stackable," Buffy said brightly. " Ooh, and waffles, because you can put things in the little holes if you want."

   Willow giggled. " You should always have a new boyfriend. You're so much fun right now."

   " Riley's great," Buffy replied dreamily. " And Maggie Walsh is so cool. She's really interested in the whole mystical side of slaying." She had a forkful of pancake. " I'm telling you, Will, she and Giles would so totally get along. Y'know, I think I'll introduce them."

   Willow grimaced. " They – they kinda already met."

   " Huh," Buffy replied, looking at Willow in surprise. " When did that happen?" 

   " Giles was looking for you yesterday," Willow told her. " He went to see Professor Walsh and – well, I'm not sure what happened exactly, but they didn't get along."

   Buffy frowned in puzzlement. " They didn't?"

   Willow shook her head. " Not unless 'fishwife' means something good."

   " Why was Giles looking for me, anyway?" Buffy asked.

   " This demon prince was supposed to rise last night," Willow replied. Seeing Buffy's panicked look, she added hurriedly, " But it's okay. When we got there, the Initiative had already taken care of it."

   Buffy gave a sigh of relief. " Good." She noticed Willow's serious expression. " Not good?"

   " Xander and I mentioned the Initiative to Giles last night," Willow replied. " He didn't know what we were talking about."

   Buffy's bewildered look gave way to shock and she put a hand over her mouth. 

   " Oops."

   " He didn't even know that Riley was a commando," Willow continued. " Or that Maggie was in charge."

   Buffy stared down at her food, suddenly uncomfortable. " I can't believe I forgot to tell him," she murmured. She looked up at Willow again. " Was he mad?"

   " He was really hurt, Buffy," the witch replied. She remembered the look on Giles' face as he sat in the crypt, just before she and Xander had high-tailed it out of there, and suddenly wished she'd stayed to keep him company. " He's feeling neglected and outa the loop-y."

   " Oh." Buffy cheered up a little. " I'll make it up to him tomorrow." Willow looked at her. " Okay," Buffy amended, " I'll make it up to him tonight." She grinned. " I'm spending today with Riley."

   " Oh yeah," Willow replied with a grin. " I forgot that's what you always do on the days the earth rotates."

***

   Giles walked down the street, still stunned at his new appearance. He'd spent ages staring at himself in the full-length mirror in his room, unable to get over what had happened. His muscles were firmer and stronger, his skin was smooth, the niggling aches and pains he felt these days were all gone. His eyesight was better, too. He paused and gazed up at a tree, marvelling in his ability to see all the little leaves in detail instead of a big green blur. He knew Ethan had done it. What he didn't know was why. Or if it was permanent.

   He approached the bar they'd been in last night. It looked closed, but then a few guys walked in ahead of him. Giles pushed the door open, hoping the waitress Ethan had tried to pull was at work this morning.

   He ambled up to the bar, looking around. The bartender noticed him and moved swiftly down towards him.

   " If you're here to drink, I'm gonna need to see some ID," he informed him.

   Giles couldn't stop the huge grin that spread across his face. The bartender stared at him in angry puzzlement. Giles cleared his throat and got hold of himself.

   " That's all right," he replied. " I'll just have a Coke."

   The bartender gave him a last look before turning away to get his drink. Giles paid him, and leaned against the counter. He sipped his drink. Being asked for ID was probably the biggest compliment he'd been paid in quite some time, but it highlighted a rather large problem with his new appearance. He needed to find Ethan. 

   " Morning, Sally," the bartender said suddenly. Giles looked up and saw the waitress from the previous night enter the bar. 

   " Hey, Tom," she said wearily, heading into the back. She emerged a few minutes later, with a notepad and pen. Giles set his glass down and approached her.

   " Excuse me, miss."

   " How can I help you…" the waitress asked, then quickly swept his body with her eyes. "…sir?"

   A warm feeling rushed through Giles. It had been a while since a woman had checked him out so blatantly. 

   " I'm looking for someone," he explained. " There were two men in here last night. English, like me, but older. One of them gave you his number."

   " Oh," the waitress said, remembering. " I threw it out. When I saw he was staying at that rat trap –"

   " Which rat trap?" Giles asked.

   " The Sunnydale Off-Ramp," the waitress answered.

   " Thank you," Giles replied with a smile.

   " You know, you look a lot like one of them," the waitress remarked. " Is he your dad?"

   Giles' smile grew wider. " Something like that."

   " I had to search for my dad after he went on benders, too," the waitress sighed. She smiled back at him. " I hope you find him."

   Giles nodded, then turned and headed out. The waitress pouted.

   " Damn, why couldn't *he* have given me his number last night?"

***


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Inside to Outside 2/?

**Author:** Cyberwulf

**Rating:** Still 12s (PG-13)

**Disclaimer:** Joss and ME own all the characters, and have shares in the plot. Led Zepplin own the song "Stairway to Heaven".

**Spoilers:** Takes place during and instead of "A New Man"; contains dialogue from "A New Man".

**Summary:** What if, instead of a Fyarl demon, Ethan had turned Giles into something else?

**Distribution:** Ask me first, and tell me where it's going.

**Feedback:** Feed the Wulf! cyberwulf_1andonly@yahoo.co.uk   

**Author's Note 1: **Gah, I'm writing this story from both ends, and hopefully it will meet in the middle. So it may be a while before the next chapter is up. Please bear with me, and keep the feedback coming!

Author's Note 2: _// //_ denotes thoughts. 

Giles didn't have far to go to get to the seedy motel Ethan was staying in. He got the room number from the receptionist – who also sent an appreciative look his way – and headed back outside.

   Ethan woke to the sound of someone banging on the door. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and reached for his slacks.

   " Hang on, hang on, I'm coming!" he growled. Yawning, he opened the door. His eyes widened when he saw the young man on the other side of it. Then his face lit up.

   " Ripper!" he exclaimed, pulling his friend into a hug. He stepped back and looked him up and down, then blew out a sigh. "It worked!"

   " Why do you sound relieved?" Giles asked.

   " Well, it's the kind of spell that can go wrong and turn you into a Fyarl demon if you fuck up the translation," Ethan replied with a wicked grin. Giles punched him playfully on the arm. " Come in!"

   Giles stepped across the threshold and looked around at the shabby carpet, the fading paint on the walls, and the watermarks on the ceiling. " Ethan, why are you staying in this shit-hole?"

   Ethan smirked.

   " Because this is where the drug dealers meet," he replied. " And I like to bang on the wall and shout 'He's wearing a wire!'." 

   Giles chuckled. Ethan sat on the unmade bed. " So, what do you think of my spell?"

   " I'm not sure," Giles admitted, leaning against the wall. " Exactly what have you done to me?"

   " I've made you twenty years younger," Ethan replied. " Well, on the outside, anyway. You're still the same person you were yesterday, except now you have the body you had when you were twenty-six." He smirked. " Those kids won't be writing you off as 'the old guy' any more."

   " Why did you do it?" Giles asked.

   Ethan sighed.

   " Because I don't like seeing you miserable, Rupert," he answered. " Unless I'm the one making you miserable."

   " Is it permanent?" Giles asked quietly.

   " Don't you like the way you are now?" Ethan replied.

   " Well…" Giles paused and frowned, looking at the carpet while he thought. He looked back at Ethan. " There are certain disadvantages to this spell…"

   " Such as?"

   " Such as all my documentation being for Rupert Giles, born in 1954," Giles replied wryly.

   Ethan smirked.

   " You might find there are more important things in life than the little bits of paper the government uses to keep track of you," he remarked. He stood up and pulled on a shirt. "Look, at least try it for a couple of weeks. Call it a trial period. I'll be in town all this month, if you're not happy, just come and see me, I'll reverse the spell."

   Giles fixed him with a steady gaze. " I have your word on that?"

   Ethan held up his hands. " I promise."

   Giles wasn't convinced.

   " How do I know there won't be any strange side-effects?" he asked suspiciously. "How do I know I won't wake up tomorrow as a giant mutated carnivorous badger? Or that I won't discover you've aged someone else twenty years to compensate for my new-found youth?"

   " There aren't any side-effects!" Ethan insisted earnestly. " I swear on my mother's grave." He looked at Giles. " And Ripper, you know how much I love my mum."

   Giles looked away, doubtful.

   " Well…"

   " Relax, Ripper," Ethan declared. He grinned. " Enjoy my gift. Get out there and have some fun."

   A smile spread slowly across Giles' face.

   " I might just do that."

***

   Buffy headed down the steps to Giles' apartment, going over the apology she'd been rehearsing all day. Buffy apologies didn't always go very well. Somehow, if the person she was apologising to got angry, she could never just let them say their bit without getting defensive, and the whole thing usually degenerated into a shouting match. But then again, no matter what she did, Giles never seemed to get angry – well, not the kind of angry that came with yelling and screaming. When Giles was angry with her, he was usually hurt, too, and reprimanded her quietly in a voice that made her feel about two inches tall – something Buffy wasn't looking forward to. She mentally tacked on an extra hug to the end of her apology.

   She pushed open the door to his apartment and went inside. Giles was nowhere to be seen. Then she heard running water, and realised he was in the shower. Buffy grinned when she heard him singing in there. At least he was in a good mood. Feeling much less apprehensive, she headed into the kitchen to get herself a glass of juice.

   She didn't notice that the water had stopped, and she never heard the bathroom door opening. Buffy turned from the fridge just as a tall, almost-naked man entered the lounge.

   " And she's buying a stairway to…"

   Buffy's glass slipped through startled fingers and smashed on the floor. The man jumped and grabbed the pink towel around his waist tightly. 

   " Buffy?"

   Buffy stared at the lean, dark-haired, muscular stranger in front of her. Her mouth almost watered at the sight of his well-toned biceps. Her eyes wandered down to his legs, then back up to his chest, and she found herself wondering what it would be like to lick his belly button. She shook her head suddenly, realising he'd called her.

   " What –" She came out from behind the breakfast bar, all senses suddenly on full alert. " Who are you? How do you know my name?"

   " Ah." The man shifted awkwardly. " I, I realise my appearance may be a little startling–"

   Buffy goggled in disbelief as she recognised the voice. " Giles?" She approached him. "Giles, is that really…" She stared up into his eyes, and had her answer. " It *is* you."

   He smiled gently at her. " Yes, it's me."

   Buffy looked down at his body again. " But – but you're so… so…" She looked back up at him. " How?"

   " It's a spell," Giles replied. Buffy didn't respond, and he saw that she was staring, mesmerised, at a drop of water trickling down his chest. He managed to suppress the huge smile threatening to split his face in two. He cleared his throat gently and Buffy looked up, face burning.

   " Huh? What?"

   " Um, why don't you sit down," Giles suggested, " and I'll go and put some clothes on."

   Buffy blushed even more as she just managed to stop her whine of protest at an end to all the naked goodness in front of her. She sat on the couch and tried not to squirm. Giles headed for the stairs. Once he was halfway up, he let his happiness take over and grinned like an idiot.

   Buffy sent anxious glances towards the loft. She wasn't sure what to make of this younger, yummier version of her former Watcher, and was switching rapidly back and forth between " Oh my God, I'm lusting *Giles*!" and " Want, take, have." All she did know was that she wanted to see him again. Preferably without the towel. After an eternity she heard him coming back down the stairs, whistling to himself. 

   _//He's so happy.// When was the last time she'd seen Giles really happy? Buffy couldn't remember._

   " Now then," Giles declared as he entered the room. Buffy looked up and swallowed, gazing at the grey T-shirt that fit him like a second skin. Giles sat in a chair opposite her. " What do you want to talk about?"

   Buffy's voice suddenly deserted her, and the questions that had been swirling around in her brain moments earlier fled. Giles was gazing at her, his usual faint smile on his face. All Buffy could think about was how much she wanted to kiss him.

   " Um…"

   There was a flurry of activity at the front door. Giles' attention was distracted, and Buffy blew out a deep breath.

   " Thank you," she mumbled quietly.

   " Okay guys, you will never guess what!" Xander exclaimed as he came into the lounge, followed closely by Willow and Anya. " I just saw Ethan Rayne, and –" His gaze fell on Giles. " – who are you?"

   Buffy looked up at the gang. Willow and Anya were staring at Giles, too. Willow's expression was a weird mixture of startled and appreciative. Anya's gaze was positively hungry. Buffy stole a glance at Giles. He'd noticed the way the girls were looking at him, and his smile was bigger.

   " It's me, Xander," he explained. " It's Giles."

   The other Scoobies stared open-mouthed.

   Xander was the first to say something.

   " Nuh-uh," he declared, shaking his head. " See, Giles is this old guy, who, despite being really smart, managed to lose two jobs in a couple of months and –"

   Giles' expression darkened.

   " Xander," he warned, glaring at him.

   Xander's eyes widened and he took a few steps back.

   " Oh my God, it's really you."

   Willow grinned.

   " Wow, Giles!" she exclaimed. " You look great! Like – like male underwear model great!"

   " Thank you," Giles replied, smiling back. Willow perched on the couch next to Buffy.

   " So how'd it happen?" the witch asked.

   " It's a spell," Giles explained. " One of Ethan's."

   " Why would Ethan cast a spell like that?" Buffy wanted to know. She rose and approached Giles anxiously. " I mean, there's gotta be some catch, right? Like, in two days' time you'll turn blue, or grow a tail or something…"

   Giles shook his head.

   " There aren't any side effects," he replied. He looked at the others. " I was talking to Ethan last night. He had information about the Initiative." He glanced up at Buffy as he spoke. Buffy remembered why she'd called round in the first place, and scrambled for her apology.

   " Giles, about that…" She crouched next to the arm of his chair to look him in the eye. " I'm really sorry I didn't tell you about Riley being a commando. It's just… he said not to, and then the guys saw him in his cammies toting a taser and meow, cat outta the bag, and I guess I just forgot you didn't know. Forgive me?"

   Giles nodded and gave her a smile.

   " If there's anything I can do to make it up to you, just name it," Buffy went on. " Like, if you want a hot oil massage or…" She felt the others' eyes on her and covered her reddening face with her hands. " Oh, I *so* didn't mean to say that out loud!"

   Anya leaned forward and addressed Giles in a stage whisper.

   " I think *someone* would like to see you naked," she declared with an extremely obvious wink. She turned to Xander, beaming proudly. " See what I did there? I used subtlety, instead of saying that if we weren't here, Buffy probably would've jum-"

   " Yeah, I saw," Xander interrupted hastily. He kissed her on the forehead. " That was good, Ahn."

   Giles chuckled.

   " In any case," he continued, " we got talking and… had rather too much to drink…" It was his turn to blush now. " I suppose I was going on about feeling old, because when I woke up this morning I was like this."

   Buffy smacked him on the arm.

   " You went drinking with Ethan Rayne?!" she exclaimed. " Anything could've happened!"

   Giles shifted uncomfortably. " Yes, well, it didn't, he replied. " And in any case, he still had information on the Initiative." 

   " What kind of information?" Buffy asked.

   " He says the Initiative is blundering into places it doesn't belong," Giles answered. He looked around at the others. " The demons are terrified. Apparently something called three-fourteen terrifies them the most." He looked back at Buffy. " That's all he could tell me."

   There was silence as the others digested this information.

   " But, but that can't be right," Willow said timidly. " Riley's one of the good guys!"

   " Yeah, are you sure you're not saying this just because you don't like Riley's boss?" Xander asked.

   " No!" Giles declared emphatically. He thought for a moment, before amending, "Though I do hate her, quite a lot." He looked at Buffy again. " Ethan's not exactly a reliable source, but I don't think he's wrong about this. Please, just be careful." He looked around the room. " All of you."

   " I never liked that Initiative anyway," Anya remarked. " Who do they think they are, locking up demons? Demons have rights too, you know!"

   Xander caught Buffy's scowl. 

   " I'm sure they do, Ahn," he said quickly. " Why don't we go home and you can tell me about it?"

   " No, I –" Anya stopped suddenly and stared at Xander. " Oh!" She leaned forward and gave Xander a wink. " Sure, Xander," she went on in a voice that was too loud. " Let's go home and leave Giles and Buffy alone together. Come on, Willow!"

   " That's not what I meant –" Xander hurried to explain, casting apologetic looks at both Buffy and Giles, as Anya pulled him out the door.

   Willow got up.

   " I gotta go anyway," she remarked. " I've got a paper to write for Friday." She grinned shyly at Giles as he got up to see her out. " Bye."

   Buffy hung back in the lounge, staring at Giles' rear view as he went with the others to the front door. She almost whined. Had his butt always been so nice and … squeezable?

   The door clicked shut and Giles returned to the lounge. He smiled when he saw Buffy still standing there.

   " Well, it seems it's just the two of us," he said softly.

   Suddenly Buffy didn't trust herself to be alone with him.

   " Uh, actually… I, I gotta go patrol," she stammered. He seemed to slump a little. Was that disappointment in his eyes? "Sorry," Buffy added quickly.

   " No, no, that's quite all right," Giles said hurriedly. " You, you've got to do what you've, got to do…"

   Gratefully, Buffy slipped past him. Her fingers brushed against his thigh, sending tingles through her arm and down into her belly. She sensed him behind her as she headed for the door. He leaned forward and opened it for her.

   " You will let me know that you're all right after patrol, won't you?" Giles murmured.

   " Sure," Buffy replied. She paused on the doorstep. " Say, Giles – we haven't trained together in a while." He raised an eyebrow quizzically at her. Buffy blushed. " In a long while," she amended. " How about we meet up tomorrow for some hand-to-hand?"

   A look of surprise settled over Giles' face, displaced quickly by joy.

   " I'd be delighted," he said. " Where?"

   " The gym on campus," Buffy answered. " Meet me in the student parking lot. Say, four o'clock?"

   " I'll see you then," Giles replied. Buffy grinned, then turned and bounded up the steps.

   Giles watched her go, then closed the door after her. He'd never imagined it was possible to be this happy. Buffy wanted him back in her life. And the way she'd looked at him tonight – seeing him as a man and not "just Giles" for the first time in all the years they'd known each other – set his skin on fire. He wondered how on earth he was going to repay Ethan for this.

   Something niggled at the back of his mind… a vague sense that something wasn't right. He pushed it away. Four o'clock tomorrow. He glanced up at the clock. Nineteen hours and twenty-three minutes away. What should he wear?

   _//Calm down, old man, it's not a date,//_ he chided himself. _//You'll wear a tracksuit, and you'll train with her, and there will be no inappropriate touching or behaviour.//_

   He grinned suddenly.

   _//Unless she does it first.// _ 

  ***


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Inside to Outside 3/?

**Author:** Cyberwulf

**Rating:** Still 12s (PG-13)

**Disclaimer:** Joss and ME own all the characters, and have shares in the plot. 'Emma' was written by Jane Austen. Details about Giles' family are entirely my own invention.

**Spoilers:** Takes place during and instead of "A New Man"; contains dialogue from "A New Man".

**Summary:** What if, instead of a Fyarl demon, Ethan had turned Giles into something else?

**Distribution:** Ask me first, and tell me where it's going.

**Feedback:** Feed the Wulf! cyberwulf_1andonly@yahoo.co.uk   

**Author's Note 1: **Sorry this took so long, and thank you all for your patience. I suffered writer's block, Christmas happened, and then my computer refused to open the file I'd stored this chapter in and I had to write it all out again. But on the plus side, it's a bit longer than the other chapters.

**Author's Note 2: _// //_ **denotes thoughts.

   Buffy bounced up and down impatiently. Now that she'd had a chance to get used to the idea of young Giles, she was sure that she wouldn't act like such a ditz around him. Even though she *had* dreamed about him last night. Naughty dreams involving leather and a motorbike. She spotted him suddenly, wending his way through the other students milling around campus.

   " Hey, Giles!"

   Giles looked up and smiled when he saw her. He hitched up his sports bag a little and made his way towards her.

   " Hello."

   Buffy couldn't stop herself from running her eyes over his body. The shiny black tracksuit he wore really suited him. And showed off his muscles. Especially his thigh muscles. She felt his gaze on her and tried to snap out of it.

   " You – you look nice," Buffy managed. " Is that a new jogging suit?"

   Giles grinned shyly. " Yes, actually." 

   Buffy suddenly noticed a group of girls standing a few yards away. They were looking at Giles the way she'd been looking at him a few minutes earlier.

   " Don't turn around," she said quietly, " but those girls over there are checking you out."

   His smile grew. " I know."

   Buffy smiled back. Seeing Giles so happy made her happy, too.

   " Well, mustn't dally," Giles declared.

   " Then come with me," Buffy replied.

   " English too?" one of the girls remarked, loud enough for them to hear.

   Giles giggled. Buffy frowned in puzzlement. She'd never heard Giles laugh like that before. She wondered why.

   He caught her expression and took it as disapproval. " Sorry. It's just been a while since I turned any heads."

   " You really like all this attention, huh?" Buffy teased.

   Giles blushed a little. " Well, it is rather nice, knowing so many members of the opposite sex find one attractive…"

   Buffy swatted him on the arm. " Ego much?" 

   She was pleasantly surprised when he butted her playfully with his shoulder.

   " Oh, you wanna play rough, huh?"

   Buffy gave Giles a push that sent him stumbling away from her.

   " Hey!" he protested. " That almost knocked me over!"

   " Well, you should know better than to touch a Slayer then, shouldn't you?" Buffy replied innocently.

   Giles tapped her on the shoulder.

   " Touch," he hissed. He patted her on the head. " Touch, touch, touch, touch…"

   " All right, mister, you asked for it!" Buffy exclaimed. She reached up and put Giles in a headlock, forcing him to bend down.

   " No, Buffy, no –"

   " Say uncle!" Buffy yelled.

   " Never!"

   " Say it!"

   Giles grabbed her around the waist and began to tickle her unmercifully.

   " Hey!" Buffy giggled. " No fair! Cut it out!"

   " *You* say uncle."

   Buffy was laughing too much to get anything out. She'd never seen Giles like this – all frisky and playful. She liked it.

   " Buffy!"

   The Slayer looked up. Instantly she let go of Giles and moved out of his embrace. She gazed up at the tall, sandy-haired young man in front of her.

   " Riley."

   Buffy blushed guiltily. The shock of young, impetuous, hottie Giles had completely obliterated one very important detail from her mind. She had a boyfriend. A boyfriend who should have been the one giving her naughty feelings, not Giles. Before she had time to process her conflicting emotions, said boyfriend had pulled her into his arms and planted a soft kiss on her mouth.

   " Thought we were supposed to meet up for training," Riley murmured. " Instead I find you wrestling with another guy."

   His joking smile didn't quite match the darker expression in his eyes. Buffy chose not to notice. She stepped back a little and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

   " Oh – uh, Riley, this is, uh, Rupert," she managed, waving a hand in Giles' direction. "Rupert, Riley."

   Riley looked at the dark-haired young man, who was still bent over, resting his hands on his thighs. He gave Riley a little wave.

   " Hello," he said breathlessly.

   Riley shot the other guy a fake smile.

   " Hi," he replied. Suddenly he frowned. " Don't I know you?"

   " No!" Giles answered, straightening up. He winced inwardly at his defensiveness. "No, I don't think so."

   " You definitely look familiar," Riley insisted. " You look just like…" He turned to Buffy. " What was that guy's name? You know, the old retired guy I met at your birthday party?"

   Buffy saw Giles scowl at 'old' and 'retired'.

   " You mean Giles," she told him. " And he's not *that* old – he's only the same age as Maggie." Giles rolled his eyes. " And he's not retired, he just doesn't have a job right now."

   " Right," Riley replied. He turned to Giles. " You look just like him, only younger."

   " Well, that's because…" Buffy scrambled for an explanation. "… because Rupert is… Giles' nephew."

   " Oh."

   " I invited him to come train with us," Buffy went on. " I hope you don't mind."

   Riley's gaze flicked to Giles, then back to Buffy.

   " Naw, I don't mind," he answered with another fake smile. He put his arm around Buffy's shoulder. " Let's get going. We've only got ninety minutes before the aerobics club get the gym."

   As the couple headed off, Riley looked over his shoulder and directed a glare at Giles. The Watcher turned away to hide his smirk.

   Mr. Teutonic Good Looks felt threatened.

   " C'mon, G- Rupert!" Buffy called.

   Hearing her say his first name did funny things to Giles' insides. _//'Rupert'. I could get used to that.// Trying not to let his delight show too much, Giles adjusted his sports bag and sauntered after them._

   " So, whaddya think?" Buffy asked as they entered the gym.

   Giles looked around. " Very spacious. I like the crash mats against the walls," he added, gesturing towards them. He looked at Buffy. " They'll come in handy when you inevitably hurl me across the room."

   Buffy smiled, then winced as Riley smacked his fist loudly into his hand.

   " Are we gonna train, or what?" he asked.

   Buffy shot him a glare, which the soldier completely missed.

   " Yes, of course," Giles declared. He shed his tracksuit top. Underneath he was wearing a black T-shirt with the picture of a panther printed on it. Buffy felt a little disappointed – a white T-shirt would've ended up all see-through, giving her a good view of those muscles and dark chest hairs she had been admiring the night before. Riley scowled, then peeled off his long-sleeved T-shirt, revealing a dark green vest. He caught Buffy's eye and gave his muscles a flex. Buffy turned away and rolled her eyes. _//What a poser.//_

   Giles stretched his arms over his head, and Buffy and Riley copied him. As the warm-up progressed, Buffy winced at a few of the stretches. She and Riley usually skipped the warm-up and got straight to the sparring. She glanced at Giles. His new body was a lot more flexible than his old one. She glanced back at Riley, who was standing with his feet twice shoulder-width apart, struggling to touch his head to his left knee and not fall over as he did so. Giles had better balance than Riley had, she noted. Giles moved onto the next stretch. Buffy looked up at him to make sure she was doing it right. And also just to look at Giles, at the way his clothes clung to his body and… Buffy felt a heat that had nothing to do with physical exertion. She looked away and forced herself to concentrate on what she was doing.

   " And relax," Giles declared finally.

   Buffy closed her eyes and took deep, slow breaths, allowing the burning sensations in her muscles to fade away. She opened her eyes and awaited the next instruction.

   " All right," Giles announced. " Let's work on some basic training."

   Buffy blushed nervously. Giles raised an eyebrow.

   " Have you been neglecting your basics?"

   Buffy blushed more.

   " Kinda," she admitted.

   Giles shook his head, but smiled anyway.

   " Okay, feet shoulder-width apart, left hand out, right hand back on your hip…"

   " Hey!"

   Both of them turned to look at Riley, standing, arms folded, by the vaulting horse.

   " Who says you get to call the shots?" he challenged.

   " Oh – um –" Giles was at a loss. He had completely forgotten the other man was in the room. He had also completely forgotten that he looked the same age as Riley. No soldier would take kindly to being bossed around by a fresh-faced youngster. Suddenly he wished he still had the air of authority that went with his grey hair and older appearance.

   Buffy rescued him.

   " *I* say," she declared. " Rupert's a fourth Dan, black belt." She glanced at Giles for confirmation and he nodded. " He's been practising martial arts since he was a little kid. He knows what he's talking about. So if he says we need to work on our basics, then we'll work on our basics."

   " Oh yeah?" Riley replied. " Well my basics are just fine." He stalked over to the punching bag. " You guys just let me know when you wanna do some real training."

   Buffy glared at him, then turned back to Giles. He flashed a grateful smile.

   " Right then, left hand out, right hand back," he said again. " Ten punches, stomach height, just punching relaxed for now. To my count…"

   As he put her through her paces, Buffy began to realise just how much she'd missed training with Giles. With Giles there was structure and organisation. Without him, she'd almost completely forgotten about practising proper, clean techniques, and she'd let the basic exercises slide because – well, because they were boring. The rough-and-tumble part of training was the fun part. The trouble was, she rarely felt as if she'd really pushed herself afterwards – she almost never had a sparring partner who was comparable in speed and strength to her. But basic training, where the object was to perform her kicks and punches with as much precision and power as she could muster, over and over again, really tested her abilities and gave her body a good work-out. Buffy executed another side thrust kick, blowing out a breath as she landed.

   " Pull your leg back in towards your body after you strike," Giles admonished. " Don't just fall into your stance. Come on, just five more…"

   And, Buffy reflected as she continued, it was good to get some expert feedback on how she was doing.

   Riley scowled at the couple training at the other side of the room as he pounded his fists into the punch bag. This Rupert guy bothered him. Well, Rupert himself didn't bother him, but the way he and Buffy interacted did. They had a rapport, and, Riley suspected, a history together, both of which excluded him. And he didn't like it. Riley hit the bag harder.

   " Okay, relax," Giles said at last. He turned his back to Buffy and hitched up his pants a bit. Buffy barely held back a whine at the way the shiny black material hugged his butt. _//Get a hold of yourself,// she admonished sternly. __//I'd sure like to get a hold of Giles -// Buffy turned away and adjusted her ponytail, scooping up all the stray strands of hair that had worked their way out of her scrunchie. She turned back to find Giles waiting for her._

   " Ready for some sparring?" he asked.

   " Hey!"

   Riley steadied the punching bag and stalked across the room. " You mind if I train with my *girlfriend*, Rupert?"

   He said Giles' name as if it was a dirty word.

   " No, not at all," Giles replied. He turned away and headed over to where he'd left his sports bag. Riley watched him go, then turned to Buffy and smiled smugly. The Slayer felt like smashing his face in. Riley put up his guard.

   " You threw me across the room last time," he declared, " but this time I'm taking you down."

   Buffy took up her stance. " And this time I won't hold back."

   Giles unscrewed the cap of his water bottle and took a few sips. He placed it back in his bag and cautiously approached the combatants, who were circling each other warily. A smile was playing around Riley's face, while Buffy was the picture of determination. She held her opponent's gaze, watching for any clue as to where the blow was going to come. Riley's eyes flicked briefly to her stomach. Buffy stepped off-line, neatly blocking his kick, and counter-attacking with a punch aimed at Riley's head. The soldier just managed to get out of the way, and jumped back out of range. The two circled each other again. Riley darted forward and threw a few jabs.

   " You're too far away, Riley, that's not going to work," Giles remarked. Riley shot him a dark look and was almost hit by one of Buffy's roundhouse kicks. He just managed to dodge her. He threw a punch of his own, aimed at her stomach, but she moved and took it to the upper arm.

   " Sloppy," Giles called, shaking his head. " Both of you."

   " You wanna *shut up*?" Riley snapped. Buffy frowned. She feinted to the left, and then, not even waiting to see if he went for it, she came in from the right with a series of punches. Riley managed to fend her off. He threw a kick. In a flash Buffy closed him down, stepped inside his guard and aimed a punch at his head, pulling it at the last minute. She tapped Riley lightly on the chin.

   " Congratulations," Giles remarked. " You've just been knocked unconscious."

   Riley turned and scowled at him. " Maybe I'd've done better without the running commentary," he snapped.

   " I'm just telling you what I see," Giles replied. " There's no point in, in training if you don't know what you're doing wrong. You're just wasting your time."

   Riley marched up to Giles and got almost nose-to-nose with him.

   " You know, if you're such an expert, why don't you show me what you've got?" he challenged.

   " Well –"

   " Go ahead, Rupert," Buffy agreed. Giles looked past Riley. His Slayer had a mischievous gleam in her eye. " Show him."

   " All right," Giles replied. He took up his stance and Riley put his guard up.

   " And don't hold back," the soldier insisted.

   Buffy watched as the two fighters circled each other , sizing each other up. Normally she would've been rooting for Riley, but right now she really hoped he got his ass kicked. He was being such a jerk today. The silence in the gym was deafening. Suddenly, as if he couldn't stand it any more, Riley surged forward, sending a flurry of punches at Giles. The Watcher stepped backwards, blocking each blow calmly. He lunged forward, under Riley's guard, and landed a light punch to the other man's stomach before withdrawing to a safe distance.

   " Hey, what was that?" Riley demanded, staring at Giles in disgust. " I thought I said don't hold back!"

   " Very well," Giles answered. He darted forward and punched Riley in the belly as hard as he could. The youth staggered back and fell on the ground, bent double. 

   " I think we have a winner," Buffy declared.

   " No fair!" Riley gasped out. " I wasn't ready!"

   " You said not to hold back," Giles replied. He extended a hand to help Riley up. Riley pushed it away and rolled onto his knees. He stood up and crossed to the other side of the room, where he'd left his sports bag. He picked it up.

   " Oh, now don't be like that," Giles declared.

   " I'm not being like *anything*," Riley spat. " I just remembered I got somewhere to be, that's all." He called to Buffy. "You coming?"

   Buffy folded her arms. " We're not done training."

   " No, that's all right," Giles interjected quickly. " We can finish for today."

   " Just because he can't handle-"

   Giles gently turned her away from Riley and lowered his voice.

   " I don't want to cause any trouble," he said quietly. " We can train some other time."

   " Like tomorrow?" Buffy replied. " Same place, say an hour earlier?"

   A glow of happiness went through her when she saw a smile spread across his face.

   " If, if that's what you want –"

   " I do want," Buffy assured him.

   " You coming or not?" Riley called. 

   Buffy sighed impatiently.

   " I'm sorry about him," she told Giles. " He's usually such a nice guy. I don't know what his problem is." She turned away and collected her stuff, then joined her glowering boyfriend at the door. " Bye, Rupert."

   " Man, who does that guy think he is?" Riley grumbled, rubbing his bruised stomach. Buffy rolled her eyes and tuned out Riley's grousing. She rarely got to see Giles fight against a non-supernatural opponent. Vampires and demons knocked him out so often, it was easy to forget that against regular guys he was quite a skilled fighter. Not to mention a good winner. She glanced at the guy slouching along beside her again. If only Riley wasn't such a bad loser.

*** 

   The following afternoon found Buffy heading towards the student parking lot again. She hadn't seen Riley all morning, and that suited her fine. He'd been sulky and moody since they'd left the gym the previous day. She had a strong feeling that seeing her with Giles had bothered him, and had tried several times to reassure him. When he insisted on wallowing, though, Buffy'd given up. She had better things to do than stroke his stupid ego. In fact, she wasn't sure if she even wanted to be with Riley any more. After seeing Giles, Riley just didn't do that much for her. And his childishness yesterday hadn't exactly won him a place in her heart. Giles would never act that way. Something up ahead caught her eye and she smiled. Speaking of Giles…

   He was leaning against the wall, thoroughly absorbed in a copy of 'Emma'. He was wearing the black tracksuit from yesterday, and his sports bag was at his feet. Buffy's tummy did flip-flops. How many guys had she seen today actually reading? For pleasure? 

   A couple of jocks barged past her, tossing a football between them. 

   " Sorry!" 

   Buffy scowled as they ran ahead. _//Muscle-bound jerks. Give me the intellectual guys any day.// She strolled up to Giles._

   " Hey, you."

   She startled him and he nearly jumped.

   " Oh!"

   Buffy couldn't help giggling.

   " I'm delighted you find sneaking up on me and almost giving me a heart attack amusing," Giles huffed.

   " Aw, don't be mad, Giles," Buffy replied. He folded his arms and tried to look annoyed. Buffy pouted. Giles' expression softened.

   " Come on then," he sighed. He put his book into his sports bag. " Let's get to it."

   Buffy took his arm as they walked towards the gym.

   " Riley not with you?" Giles asked, trying to act nonchalant.

   " Nope," Buffy answered brightly. " I wanted you all to myself today."

   A surge of heat flooded Giles at her words. He swallowed and willed his body to behave itself. Buffy continued, apparently unaware of the double meaning in her last sentence.

   " Plus, he was such an idiot yesterday. And I don't wanna have him glaring at us during training again."

   " Neither do I," Giles admitted. They entered the gym. Buffy unconsciously licked her lips as Giles took off his tracksuit top. Today he was wearing a white T-shirt that hugged his body in all the right places. _//Concentrate, Buffy!// She turned away and started stretching._

***

   Riley emerged from his dorm. He was no fool – he'd seen the way Buffy looked at Rupert yesterday, and had been giving Buffy the cold shoulder ever since. But now he felt in a better mood. She'd been punished enough. Time to go kiss and make up.

   He glanced at his watch. It was almost four. Chances were she was training in the gym, or on her way there. He headed over.

***

   Giles and Buffy had been training intensely for almost an hour. Buffy was impressed at Giles' new levels of strength and stamina – for a change, he was really holding his own. Of course, she had to admit she was a little distracted – young Giles looked good, but young, sweaty Giles looked even better. Especially now that his clothes were starting to cling. She took a moment to admire his biceps and it was her undoing. He lunged in and threw a punch. Buffy grabbed his arm and threw a punch of her own. Giles grabbed her arm in turn and pulled her in closer to him.

   " Now what?" he asked softly.

   Buffy gazed up at him. She could feel the heat radiating from his body, could smell his aftershave and deodorant mingled with sweat. Before she knew what she was doing, she'd stood on tiptoe and was kissing him. He didn't respond at first, but after a few seconds he slid his arms around her waist and began to kiss her too. Buffy's legs went weak, and she pressed herself against his body. One hand was tangled in his hair, the other creeping lower. She gave his butt a squeeze and he moaned into her mouth. God, he tasted and felt so good…

   The door opened suddenly. There was no time for them to spring away from each other, to try and pretend that they hadn't been doing what they'd been doing. All they could do was turn and stare at the furious young man in the doorway.

   " I knew it," Riley snarled. " I knew it!" He stalked towards them. Giles stepped forward, blocking his path to Buffy.

   " Look, Riley –"

   " Outta my way," the soldier growled, shoving Giles aside. He glared at Buffy. " I shoulda trusted my gut. Anyone could see there was something going on between you two –"

   Giles tried to intervene again.

   " Listen, this is all my fault –"

   " Yeah, I'll bet," Riley drawled sarcastically. " I'm sure you forced her to put her tongue in your mouth and her hand on your ass." He turned to Buffy again. " No wonder the buzz was you were easy –"

   He had no time to finish his sentence. Giles grabbed him by the collar and flung him against the wall. He advanced on the other man, eyes cold and hard.

   " You'd better be very careful what you say next," he growled.

   " I'm not afraid of you," Riley spat. He looked at Buffy. " Tramp!"

   For the second time in as many days Giles buried his fist in Riley's stomach. The commando slid to the floor, severely winded. Giles crouched next to him and grabbed Riley's hair, forcing him to look up.

   " I suggest you leave before something unpleasant happens," the Watcher hissed. Riley took his cue and got up painfully. Buffy stared as he hobbled to the door. She realised with a start that she'd just seen Ripper in action.

   Giles watched Riley leave through narrowed eyes. He was glad he'd had the chance to teach the little jumped-up Territorial a lesson. No-one spoke about Buffy that way –

   Buffy. Riley was Buffy's boyfriend – or had been, until a few minutes ago. Giles turned to his Slayer. 

   " Buffy, I'm so sorry," he said. " I, I should've stopped you, should've pulled away –"

   " Then why didn't you?" Buffy asked. " I mean, was it just because I'm woman-shaped, because if so, why me? I mean, there's tons of prettier girls and, and you could get them –"

   He shushed her gently. " It's not that."

   " Then what?" Buffy asked. " Why else would –" Understanding hit her and she stared up at him, eyes wide. " You mean you –"

   He nodded, blushing shyly.

   " How long?" Buffy asked softly.

   Giles shrugged.

   " I don't know," he admitted. " It's as if one day I turned around and you'd become a beautiful young woman… and I was suddenly hopelessly in love with you." He managed a brief smile. " Buffy, I don't expect anything of you –"

   " Wanna go get some ice-cream?" Buffy asked.

   Giles frowned in puzzlement.

   " I beg your pardon?"

   Buffy traced her finger in little circles on his T-shirt.

   " You, me, ice-cream…" She looked up at him and smiled. " Date?"

   Giles gazed back at her in surprise and joy. " I – I'd love to."

   " Great," Buffy replied. " I'll see you in ten." She picked up her towel and headed out.

   Giles snagged his own towel from the vaulting horse and wiped his face with it. He'd never imagined it was possible to be this happy. _//Date. She said 'date'. Buffy and I are going on a date. I have a date with Buffy. Well, all right, it's just going for ice-cream, but she still said 'date'.//_ He frowned suddenly. There was that niggling feeling again. He shook his head and ignored it. He picked up his sports bag and headed for the male showers.

   After all, it didn't do to keep a lady waiting.

***

   " How can you eat all that? I'm getting a bellyache just looking at it!"

   " 'Cos it's ice-cream," Buffy replied. " And 'cos I'm the Slayer." She took another bite of her dessert – three scoops of chocolate, one scoop of strawberry and a cherry – and continued. " Anyway, I can't believe you got – purple!"

   " It's called 'Fruits of the Forest'," Giles corrected. " And it's very nice."

   " Chocolate's nicer," Buffy teased.

   " Yes, well, I have this notion that if something contains fruit, it must be good for you," Giles replied. " Even if that something is ice-cream."

   " Sounds like Mom logic," Buffy remarked.

   " Mom logic?" Giles repeated in puzzlement.

   " You know," Buffy explained. She had another spoonful of ice-cream before continuing. " It's okay for Mom to break her diet and have waffles for breakfast, but only if she makes them for me, because then they have no calories."

   " Ah, I understand," Giles replied. " Like the way my mum used to buy biscuits when she was slimming, because they were 'for the children'." He had some ice-cream before adding thoughtfully, " Though, to be fair, we *did* eat most of them."

   Buffy listened, intrigued. Giles never talked about his family. She realised she knew next to nothing about his childhood or home life. Suddenly she wanted to know everything.

   " What was your mom like?" she blurted out. Giles stared at her in surprise.

   " Pardon?"

   " Your mom," Buffy repeated, painfully aware of the blush creeping into her cheeks. "Do – do you miss her?" Giles continued to look puzzled. Buffy went on, unable to stop talking. " I mean, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to – if, if she's dead or something and it's too painful or –"

   " She's not dead," Giles interrupted gently. " She and Dad are very much alive, they're only in their seventies. I call them every week."

   Buffy smiled gratefully. " Thanks for stopping me mid-babble."

   Giles smiled back.

   " Anyway, why the sudden interest in my parents?" he asked. 

   Buffy shrugged. 

   " I just realised that you know stuff about my family, like how Dad's a deadbeat and Mom works at an art gallery," she answered. " But I don't know any stuff like that about you. Except that your dad was a Watcher, too."

   " You never asked," Giles replied simply. 

   " Well, I'm asking now," Buffy declared. " So… you got any brothers or sisters?"

   " Two brothers and two sisters," Giles told her. " I'm the eldest." He paused and thought. " Which is ironic, since now I look like I'm the youngest."

   Buffy grinned.

   " Whoa, a big family," she remarked. " What's it like, growing up with all those kids?"

   " Noisy," Giles answered with a smile. " And messy. Especially when we were younger. But there was always someone to play with. Or to stick up for you. We were very close, the five of us."

   " Wow," Buffy remarked. " I always kinda wanted a kid brother or sister. I guess Mom and Dad decided I was enough trouble by myself."

   " Nonsense," Giles declared. " They decided they didn't need to have any more babies because you were perfect."

   Buffy grinned, blushing at his compliment.

   " Besides," Giles went on, " the trouble with little brothers and sisters is you never stop worrying about them, no matter how old they get. You look at them when they're forty and they're *still* your baby brother or sister."

   They'd finished their ice-cream. Buffy glanced at her watch.

   " Yikes!" she exclaimed.

   " Trouble?" Giles asked.

   " Sorta," Buffy said apologetically. " I've got this assignment that's due for tomorrow. I really oughta go do some work on it. Sorry."

   " Not at all," Giles replied. They stood up and left the ice-cream parlour. Giles held the door for Buffy and let her go first. Buffy smiled. He was such a gentleman.

   " Walk me back to the dorm?" she asked.

   " Delighted."

   They made their way back to the campus in companionable silence. At some stage during the journey Giles' arm snuck around Buffy's waist, and Buffy's arm did likewise. Giles gave a small sigh as UC Sunnydale loomed into view. The walk was far too short. They reached Buffy's dorm building. Giles looked down at her.

   " Well, here we are," he remarked.

   " Uh-huh," Buffy replied. She put her arms around his neck. " Hey, you wanna come with me on patrol tonight? I'll come by your house at about eight?"

   Giles pulled her a little closer. " My dear, you've just made my night." He leaned down and kissed her. Buffy whimpered a little when he pulled away.

   " Until eight."

   " See you then," Buffy said softly. She watched as Giles headed off.

   Suddenly, eight o'clock seemed very far away.

***


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** Inside to Outside 4/5

**Author:** Cyberwulf

**Rating:** Still 12s (PG-13)

**Disclaimer:** Joss and ME own all the characters, and have shares in the plot. Details about Giles' family are entirely my own invention.

**Spoilers:** Takes place during and instead of "A New Man"; contains dialogue from "A New Man". This chapter makes references to Hush.

**Summary:** What if, instead of a Fyarl demon, Ethan had turned Giles into something else?

**Distribution:** Ask me first, and tell me where it's going.

**Feedback:** Feed the Wulf! cyberwulf_1andonly@yahoo.co.uk   

**Author's Note 1: **Aargh! Once again, sorry for the delay, and I hope some of you are still reading this. This chapter just didn't want to be written. Next time, I swear I'll write the whole story *before* posting it…

**Author's Note 2: _// //_ **denotes thoughts.  

   " Will, do I look all right?"

   " For the eleventh time, yes!" Willow assured her friend. " You look great."

   Buffy glared at the redhead lounging on the bed. " It is *not* the eleventh time."

   " Yes it is," Willow insisted cheekily. She held up her writing pad. " See? I kept count."

   " Okay, you win," Buffy sighed. She sank down on her bed. " I – I just want tonight to go all right."

   Willow grinned. " You wanna look good for Riley, huh?"

   " Riley…" Buffy realised she hadn't told Willow about the afternoon's events. " No. Riley's history."

   Willow sat up in surprise. " What? Since when?" 

   " Since I found out he was a royal jackass," Buffy replied. She grinned and blushed a little. " And since I noticed the goodness that is Giles."

   " Giles?" Willow asked.

   Buffy nodded as her smile grew.

   " When did all this happen?" Willow asked. " I want details!"

   " Well, it kinda started yesterday, with me noticing how good he looks," Buffy explained. " And then today we were training, and we ended up kissing…" She gave a small sigh of happiness. " Oh, Will… I never knew Giles could be so…" She frowned, trying to find the words. " He made me feel all melty inside, you know?"

   " Ooh, melty," Willow said with a grin. " Then what happened?"

   " Riley happened," Buffy told her. " He walked right in just as we were…"

   Willow grimaced. " Ouch."

   " Definitely not of the fun," Buffy added. " He was so angry." She looked at her hands. " He started saying all this stuff about me… and then Giles went all Ripper and told him to get out."

   " Oh, defending your honour," Willow declared. " That's such a Giles-y thing to do."

   " Yeah," Buffy reflected with a smile.

   " And then?" Willow prodded.

   " Then… it turns out that Giles loves me," Buffy answered. She grew thoughtful. "He's been in love with me since he doesn't know when."

   " But… but that's good, right?" Willow asked anxiously. " I mean, since you like him it's good that he likes you back…"

   " Yeah," Buffy agreed. " It's just…" She glanced at Willow, then looked down at her hands. " If he likes me so much… y'know, *likes* me, then – how come he never said anything? And what about Olivia?"

   Willow pondered this for a few moments, then shrugged.

   " Got me," she admitted. " You could always ask him."

   " I guess," Buffy replied glumly.

   Willow gazed at her best friend and decided to try and snap her out of her sudden depression. " Get to the part where you ask him to go on patrol with you."

   Despite herself, Buffy smiled.

   " Well, first there was ice cream, and talking, and then… walking…" Her smile grew. "And then more kissing… and then I asked him and he said yes." Her eyes widened and she looked at her watch. " And I gotta go!"

   " Have a good time!" Willow called as Buffy took off out the door. " Tell me everything!"

   Buffy hurried down the street towards Giles' apartment.

   " I'm late. I'm late, I'm late, I'm late," she muttered under her breath. She pulled up short. " Okay, since when did I turn into the White Rabbit? And how come I'm talking to myself?" The Slayer shrugged and quickened her pace. She trotted down Giles' stairs and paused at the bottom. She took a few slow, deep breaths. _//This is it.// Buffy knocked on the door._

   " Buffy."

   Giles smiled when he saw her, and a warm feeling flooded through Buffy at the way his whole face lit up. He was wearing a light blue sweater. A body-hugging, non-ropey sweater. She felt slightly disappointed that his jeans were still on the loose side. _//Well, I guess I can't have everything.//_

   " Do you want something to eat or drink first?" Giles asked, jerking a thumb in the direction of the kitchen.

   " No thanks," Buffy answered. " I'd just like to get to it."

   " Very well."

   He turned to pick up his keys from the hall table and Buffy noticed a strange bulge under the back of his sweater. " What's that?"

   " Just my sword," Giles replied. He stepped out the door. Buffy couldn't resist giving him a quick pat on the butt. 

   " What *is* this sudden fascination with my bottom?" Giles teased. " You can't seem to keep your hands off it."

    " Can I help it if you've got a cute tushie?" Buffy replied. She slid her hand into Giles' back pocket.

   " You might find slaying vampires a bit difficult with your hand in there, love," Giles remarked.

   " I'll take it out when we get to the cemetery," Buffy promised with a grin. Giles looped his arm around her waist.

   " Just as long as I'm not a distraction," he replied.

   " Careful, Giles, your ego's showing again," Buffy teased.

   He gave her a stern look.

   " I'm being serious, Buffy," he told her quietly.

   Buffy calmed down a little. 

   " I know," she answered. " And I promise, Giles, I'm one hundred percent focussed."

   He smiled.

   " Good."

   The couple headed down the street. Abruptly, Giles gave a yelp. 

   " Buffy!"

   The Slayer smiled up at him innocently, gently rubbing the flesh she'd just squeezed.

   " One hundred percent."

***

   Ethan Rayne stood in the shadows of a doorway and watched the man and woman walking on the other side of the street. He grinned when he noticed Buffy's hand in Ripper's pocket. Things were going perfectly. In fact, they were going better than he had expected. He hadn't imagined Buffy would make a move so quickly, let alone get so 'hands on' with someone she'd hardly considered a man a few days ago. But then again, he could understand why. Seeing Ripper like this made Ethan remember why he'd fallen in love with the Watcher all those years ago.

   Once the couple was out of sight, Ethan emerged from the doorway and headed off in the other direction. He hadn't missed the look of happiness on Ripper's face. It was a look the sorcerer hadn't seen in a long time, and it felt good to know he was responsible for putting it there. Ethan shook his head and smiled.

   " I must be getting soft in my old age," he murmured to himself.

***

   " So what was your favourite TV show when you were a kid?" Buffy asked. " I mean, that's if you had a TV," she added quickly. " If, if you didn't, that's cool."

   " No, we had a television," Giles replied. " Mostly because my father had two wages, one from his civil service job, and the other from the Watcher's Council."

   " Well, what was your favourite TV show?" Buffy asked again.

   Giles glanced at her.

   " Do you promise not to laugh?"

   " I promise," Buffy assured him.

   " Thunderbirds."

   " Thunderbirds?" Buffy repeated. " You mean that thing with the scary wooden puppets?"

   " Oh, you've seen it?" Giles asked.

   " Not really," Buffy admitted. " I just know of it."

   " Well, that's what we watched," Giles replied. " We were big fans. James and I would pretend to be Virgil and Scott, and we usually made Barney be Alan or Brains. Sue was Lady Penelope, and Ursula ended up as Tin-Tin. Then we'd run around the house making a racket and driving our parents mad."

   Buffy giggled. Giles pulled her closer.

   " You promised not to laugh," he teased.

   " I'm just trying to imagine you as a noisy TV-watching kid," Buffy replied. " I always thought you were the kind of kid who sat inside all day with his nose in a book."

   " Very funny," Giles replied. " I wasn't always a human library, you know."

   They arrived at the first graveyard of the evening. Giles reached behind him and freed Buffy's hand from his pocket.

   Buffy pouted.

   " Business before pleasure, darling," Giles told her. He drew his sword. They headed into the cemetery, both on the alert.

   There were surprisingly few vampires out that night – only a few fledgelings who had just risen and were no match for a well-placed kick followed by a stake to the heart, or the sweep of a sword from behind. At their final stop, though, they disturbed a nest of more experienced vampires.

   As Buffy traded insults and blows with three of them, Giles circled the fighters warily, ready to help out if Buffy got in trouble. Not that she needed any help, he thought proudly as Buffy planted a kick into one vampire's chest, then spun swiftly and dusted another. She was absolutely magnificent in battle – such a perfect blend of speed, strength and control… 

    Giles never heard the rustle of the bushes behind him. The next moment a vampire burst out of the undergrowth and slammed into his back, knocking the Watcher down. Giles lost his hold on the sword, and a shower of sparks went off in his skull as his head collided with a stone.

   The vampire knelt on top of him and bared her fangs. 

   " You're almost too pretty to eat," she taunted. She planted one hand on his head and the other on his shoulder to hold him steady. " Almost."

   " Hey!"

   With a "huh?" the vampire twisted round to look behind her. A second later, she turned to dust.

   Buffy lowered the sword, gazing at where the vampire had been.

   " Heads up."

   She knelt down next to the prone figure on the ground. He groaned, and Buffy wasn't sure whether to be relieved or worried.

   " Giles? Can you stand?"

   " Yes, I – I think so…" Giles rolled onto his back and began to sit up. He paused as a wave of dizziness washed over him. Buffy grasped his arm.

   " Take it easy…" ****

   " Oh…" Giles held his head as Buffy helped him up. He took his hand away from the injury, looking for blood. " Some things never change…"

   " Are you okay, Giles?" Buffy asked anxiously. " Do you need to see a doctor?"

   " No, I think I'm all right," Giles answered. " I don't think I was knocked unconscious. I'll probably have a nice big bruise, though…"

   Buffy stood on tiptoe and kissed him on his already purpling temple. " Poor Giles."

   " I wasn't much help tonight, was I," Giles said with a sigh.

   " Sure you were," Buffy replied. " You got three vamps."

   He smiled.

   " Yes, I did."

   Buffy handed him Giles his sword, and he replaced it in its scabbard. The pair of them began to head out of the graveyard.

   " Quiet tonight," Giles remarked.

   " Uh-huh," Buffy agreed. " It's probably the Initiative keeping the numbers down." She brightened. " Hey, if they stick around, maybe I can retire."

   Suddenly Giles pulled her behind a tomb.

   " Hey –"

   " Shh," he murmured, then gestured towards the graveyard fence. " Look."

   Buffy followed his gaze. A red fox was trotting along not fifteen feet away from them. Two cubs followed closely behind her.

   " A mummy and two babies," Giles murmured.

   " Wow." Buffy frowned. " I didn't know foxes lived in cities."

   " Oh, yes," Giles replied. " They raid the dustbins, you see." He lowered his voice further and continued. " There can be up to thirteen cubs in a litter, but usually the vixen has about five." He looked at her slyly. " Mating takes hours, and both the male and female are quite vocal throughout." 

   Buffy blushed a bit and slipped her hand into Giles' larger one. They watched as the family vanished into the bushes. Buffy had missed this – Giles being Knowledge Guy. He always seemed to know stuff about anything and everything, and it was never boring. Riley probably wouldn't even have shown her the foxes, let alone known anything about them. She glanced up at Giles. He was grinning.

   " We can let Anya know the bunny population is under control," he chuckled.

   Buffy giggled. The couple turned and began to head out of the graveyard.

   " Magnificent animals, aren't they?" Giles remarked.

   " Is that why you British hunt them?" Buffy teased.

   Giles let go of her hand and grabbed her round the waist, making Buffy shriek with laughter. He pulled her against him.

   " I'll have you know I've been on many an anti-hunting protest, my dear," he murmured. " Got arrested once."

   Buffy smiled up at him, and Giles leaned down and kissed her. Buffy closed her eyes and ran her hands up and down his broad back, enjoying the warmth of his body against hers, the taste of his mouth, and the smell of his aftershave. All too soon, he pulled away. Buffy gave a small sigh of disappointment. If only it were possible to just kiss him forever…

   " You all right?" Giles asked softly.

   " Yeah," Buffy replied. She looked up at him. " Y'know… back there, with the foxes… that was really special." She frowned, trying to find the right words. " I – I liked that – that we shared a moment. I liked that it was you and me." Her face scrunched in confusion. " Does that make sense?"

   Giles smiled.

   " Yes," he replied. He reached out and cupped Buffy's cheek. " I liked that it was you and me, too."

   Buffy smiled back, and nestled into his side. They continued out of the cemetery, arms wrapped round each other's waists. Giles felt Buffy's nimble fingers sneaking into his back pocket again and shot her a questioning look.

   " My hand got cold," Buffy offered with an impish smile.

   Giles raised an eyebrow. A second later Buffy felt a large, warm hand slide partially into her own back pocket. Her eyes widened and Giles couldn't help chuckling at her startled expression. 

   " Giles –"

   " Funny," Giles declared innocently. " *My* hand felt cold all of a sudden, too."

   They strolled down the street, neither one saying anything. Buffy remembered Willow's advice. Well, now was as good a time to ask as any. She cleared her throat.

   " Giles, can I ask you something?"

   " Go ahead."

   Buffy swallowed. " You've been in love with me for a while, right?" She looked up at him. " I mean, it's not just a recent 'I'm young and hormonal' thing, is it?"

   Giles shook his head and flashed her a gentle smile.

   " I don't know when precisely I realised I was in love with you," he told her, " but I think things began to change around the time of your prom. When you walked in that door, all dressed up… it made me realise you weren't a – a little girl, you were a young woman."

   Buffy thought about this for a few moments, then looked up at him again. " Then… what was Olivia?"

   " Ah." Giles took a deep breath and let it out. He looked down at Buffy. " Olivia's an… old friend. Many years ago, we had a – 'thing', as you would put it. But we grew apart, wanted different things out of life."

   " So she's an ex," Buffy declared.

   " Yes," Giles replied. 

   Buffy shifted and looked away.

   " But when she was here… you guys –"

   Giles slid his hand out of her pocket and stroked her back.

   " Olivia was company," he explained quietly. " She's funny, and attractive, and…" He shrugged. " And I was lonely." He reflected for a moment. " I think she was, too."

   Buffy didn't say anything.

   " You know, I think even without the Gentlemen's little visit, it wouldn't have lasted between us," Giles mused. " We'd had our time. The feelings… just weren't as deep any more. We'd both changed too much." He looked at her. " Does that make sense?"

   " I guess," Buffy admitted reluctantly. " I just don't understand how you could have sex with one person but be in love with another…"

   Giles put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed her gently.

   " Sex doesn't always equal love, Buffy," he remarked. " Sometimes it's just a bit of fun." He heaved a sigh. " And sometimes it's neither." He dropped his arm to her waist again, and placed a light kiss on her hair. " But with the right person, it can be both."

   Buffy nodded thoughtfully.

   " Yeah, I get it," she replied.

   Yet again, UC Sunnydale appeared all too quickly. The couple strolled through the campus and halted outside Buffy's dorm. Giles glanced up at the building and smiled faintly, then looked at Buffy.

   " Goodnight, love."

   Buffy put her arms around his neck.

   " Don't I get a goodnight kiss?"

   With a grin, Giles thoroughly obliged, leaving Buffy breathless.

   " Another knee-trembler," she remarked.

   Giles stared at her.

   " Sorry?"

   " A knee-trembler," Buffy repeated. She frowned as Giles began to giggle. " What? Your kisses make my legs all wobbly, so, they're knee-tremblers."

   " I understand," Giles chuckled.

   " What are you laughing at?" Buffy asked, a trace of annoyance creeping into her tone.

   Giles blushed and sobered a little.

   " Well – er – you see, in, in my part of the world, a 'knee-trembler' is, um… a quickie." As understanding began to dawn on Buffy, Giles continued. " A – a quickie where, where both parties are – standing up."

   Buffy began to laugh – partly at herself, partly at Giles' stuttered explanation. He smiled down at her. Buffy tilted her hips against his and grinned slyly.

   " I wouldn't mind your version of a knee-trembler," she murmured.

   Giles smiled and shook his head.

   " Don't you want to?" Buffy asked in a small, uncertain voice.

   Giles sighed and brushed Buffy's hair out of her face.

   " Buffy, nothing would give me greater pleasure than to make love to you," he told her. " But I'm not going to do it out here, where it's dark and damp and anyone can gawk at us. I don't mind sex outside, but this place isn't very romantic, is it?" He jerked his head to the right. " That dumpster over there is overflowing, and I doubt that wall would be very comfortable against your back." Giles cupped Buffy's cheek in his large, warm hand. " You deserve privacy…" He placed a soft kiss on her lips. "… romantic music…" He began to kiss his way along her jaw. " … a nice, big bed with satin sheets…" He stopped at her ear, and dropped a final kiss on her neck. " … hours and hours of my undivided attention…"

   Buffy whimpered and held onto him as her legs turned to jelly yet again. She gazed up at him.

   " Anyone ever tell you that you know all the right things to say?" she asked.

   Giles grinned. " Well, words *are* my strong point." He caressed her back. " Will I see you tomorrow?"

   " What day is tomorrow?" Buffy asked dazedly.

   Giles chuckled. " Saturday."

   " Then I guess I'll come around to your place," Buffy replied.

   " Wonderful." He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it gently. " Till tomorrow."

   Buffy moved out of his embrace. " Goodnight, Giles."

   She turned and went inside. Giles watched her go, then began to head back to his apartment. He couldn't stop smiling. He had a second date. Or was it a third date? Did patrolling count as a date?

   _//Oh, who cares if it does or it doesn't?// he admonished. __//You're seeing her tomorrow, aren't you? Now shut up and strut.//_

***


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** Inside to Outside 5/5

**Author:** Cyberwulf

**Rating:** 15s (Hard R)

**Disclaimer:** Joss and ME own all the characters, and have shares in the plot. 

**Spoilers:** Takes place during and instead of "A New Man"; contains dialogue from "A New Man". References to Wild at Heart, Band Candy, Earshot, The Prom.

**Summary:** What if, instead of a Fyarl demon, Ethan had turned Giles into something else?

**Distribution:** Ask me first, and tell me where it's going.

**Feedback:** Feed the Wulf! cyberwulf_1andonly@yahoo.co.uk   

**Author's Note 1: **Sorry it took so long!

**Author's Note 2: _// //_ **denotes thoughts.

   Buffy snuggled back against the man in her bed. He nuzzled her neck and stroked one hand up and down her stomach. Buffy sighed in pleasure, feeling surrounded by warmth and love. She rolled over and wrapped an arm around him, rubbing her cheek against his hairy chest.

   " Oh, Giles," she murmured.

   He purred under her like a big cat. Buffy hugged him tighter. He felt so soft. Very soft… wait, that wasn't right…

   Buffy opened her eyes and discovered she was hugging her pillow. Her quilt was wrapped tightly around her. Sunlight streamed through the window. Buffy disentangled herself from her bedclothes.

   " Man, I've got it bad," she muttered.

A quick shower and brunch later, Buffy strolled down the street towards Giles' apartment. She was almost there when she spotted him out on the sidewalk. He was washing the Citroen, thoroughly lathering the roof of his battered old car. Buffy had a sudden mental image of herself lathering Giles all over. She swallowed and tried to ignore the heat gathering in her belly.

   " Hello there." Giles gave her a wave as he hosed the suds off the Citroen. Buffy grinned and sauntered over.

   " Looks like I got here just in time," she remarked.

   " How's that?" Giles asked.

   " Any earlier and I might've had to help," Buffy explained cheekily. She yelped as Giles directed the jet of water at her feet, just missing her sandals. " Hey!"

   " What?" Giles asked innocently. " I didn't do a thing."

   Buffy grinned, then moved over to the bucket of water. She picked up the sponge and flicked some suds at him.

   " Oi!" Giles exclaimed as they hit his T-shirt. He glared at her, then smirked. " Right."

   Buffy squealed as he vaulted over the hood of the Citroen, bringing the hose with him. She grabbed the bucket and ran around to the other side of the car. She felt water hitting the back of her shins, turned, and raised the bucket.

   Giles realised, too late, what was about to happen.

   " Buffy, no –"

   A second later the warm, soapy water hit him in the chest. Giles opened his eyes. Buffy was almost bent double with laughter. She calmed down a little and looked at him, then collapsed in hysterics again. Giles dropped the hose.

   " Right, come here, you."

   He grabbed her and pushed her against the car, kissing her possessively. Buffy reached up and buried her hands in his hair, trying to keep up with his assault. She hooked a leg around one of his, rubbing against the growing hardness pressing into her belly. At last he finished and pulled away a little. Buffy dropped her hands to his back and gazed up into his eyes.

   " Giles…"

   Abruptly the pair were showered with cold water. 

   " Oh – bloody…"

   Giles turned. The hose was jumping around on the pavement like an angry snake. Buffy started giggling. Giles grinned.

   " Well, that's certainly a mood-breaker," he chuckled. Placing one last kiss on Buffy's lips, he picked up the hose. Buffy attempted to straighten herself up a little while he shut off the water.

   " Oh… you're – you're soaked through…"

   Buffy looked up and saw Giles staring at her now see-through top. He caught himself and looked away, blushing.

   " Come – come inside," Giles stuttered. " Maybe I can find you something dry..."

   He headed towards the apartment. Buffy followed, grinning. For some reason, knowing she could make Giles all stammery and blushy felt really good. 

   Buffy settled herself on Giles' couch while her Watcher moved purposefully around the room.

   " I know it's in here somewhere…" He paused by the desk. " Aha!"

   Buffy looked up as a black T-shirt landed in her lap. She picked it up and grinned at the Black Sabbath logo on it.

   " Shrunk in the wash," Giles explained, leaning over the back of the couch. " I know it's not your usual style," he added apologetically.

   Buffy knelt up and kissed his cheek. " It's perfect."

   Giles smiled shyly at her. " I'll just go and get changed."

   He turned away and headed for the stairs. Buffy watched him go. She fought back a little moan when he pulled off his wet T-shirt before mounting the staircase. Sitting back down, Buffy removed her top and slipped the shirt on. It may have been too small for Giles, but Buffy felt like she was swimming in it. It smelled like his fabric softener. She slid off the couch as Giles came back downstairs. He was wearing a blue checked cotton shirt, opened to reveal a white T-shirt. Buffy approached and put her arms around his neck.

   " Wanna go to the park?"

   Giles frowned as he considered.

   " Well – today's the day I clean the flat," he replied.

   " Giles, I hate to tell you this," Buffy said, " but if this place got any cleaner you could perform surgery in here."

   " It still has to be done," Giles told her.

   Buffy pouted. " You mean you'd rather mop the floor and wash windows than –" She noticed the look in his eye and slapped him on the arm. " You!"

   Giles chuckled, then took her in his arms.

   " You really think I'm that stuffy?" he murmured.

   Buffy shifted uncomfortably. " Well, kinda."

   " Then I'd better dispel that notion, hadn't I?" Giles remarked huskily. Buffy hung on tightly to his shoulders as he kissed her hungrily. She gasped for air as he let her go.

   " Wow."

   " You all right?" Giles asked with a grin.

   " Yeah," Buffy answered.

   He took her hand. " Let's go to the park."

***

   Buffy giggled as Giles pulled her behind a tree near the pond.

   " What's the matter?" she asked. " Don't you like walking any more?"

   " It's hard to walk and kiss at the same time," Giles explained. " And besides, we're getting looks."

   " Looks?" Buffy asked, frowning.

   " Yes," Giles said with a sigh. " I'm afraid we've become that couple."

   " What couple?"

   " You know," Giles explained. " In every public place, anywhere you go, there's always one couple who are disgustingly in love." He leaned down and kissed her. " And aren't shy about showing it."

   " And are making all the prudes angry and all the singles jealous…" Buffy murmured.

   " Mmm…"

   They made out for a few more minutes. Then Giles raised his head and looked over Buffy's shoulder. 

" Let's catch that duck."

   " What?"

   " That duck." Giles moved away from her and took off his shirt. " We can have it for supper."

   " Giles!"

   He advanced slowly on the duck, shirt at the ready. " I'll throw my shirt over it, then you can wring its neck."

   Laughing, Buffy grabbed him round the waist. " Why do *I* have to wring its neck?"

   " Because *you're* the Slayer," Giles replied. " Look, I'll do all the plucking and gutting, all you have to do is kill it –"

   " Giles –"

   He moved forward, Buffy pulled him back, and the two of them ended up tumbling to the ground. In a flurry of wings and squawking, the duck escaped and made it to the pond.

   " Oh, now look!" Giles said in mock disappointment. He jabbed a finger at the duck from where he lay face-up on the grass. " You belong in my oven, mate."

   Buffy crawled on top of him, giggling. " You're silly."

   Giles held her gently around her waist.

   " I'm happy," he murmured softly.

   Buffy cupped his cheek and began to kiss him, not caring who walked past…

   " Ahem."

   Buffy looked up and saw a redhead and a blonde gazing down at them, smiling. She flushed and got off Giles. The pair stood up quickly, brushing themselves off.

   " Hi, Willow," Buffy stammered out, trying to tidy up her hair. " Hi… Willow's friend."

   " This is Tara," Willow replied. " I met her at Wicca group. Tara, this is Buffy, and Giles."

   The blonde girl ducked her head shyly and waved.

   " Hey, I was just coming to find you," Willow declared. " Did you forget? We've got an extra Psych tutorial in half an hour."

   Buffy pouted. " Willow!" She slid her arms around Giles and rested her head on his chest. " Saturday! Cute guy!"

   " Hey, you wanna pass Monday's test, don't you?" Willow replied.

   Buffy grumbled something into Giles' T-shirt.

   " You'd better go, love," Giles told her.

   Buffy glared at him. " Whose side are you on?"

   " Hey, it's not all bad," Willow declared. " You can see Giles tonight, at the Bronze." Buffy gave her a puzzled look. " You remember!" Willow said indignantly. " We planned this last week! It's been a while since we all hung out together, so we're going to the Bronze tonight. Xander's bringing Anya, I'm bringing Tara – you can bring Giles." Her eyes widened. " Um, not that we weren't going to invite Giles to begin with, it's just that, uh – shutting up now."

   Buffy heaved a sigh. " Okay. I'll go to the stupid tutorial." She traced a finger up Giles' chest and leaned up to kiss him. Giles cleared his throat and nodded towards Willow and Tara.

   " Um, you guys go ahead," Buffy told them. " I'll be right behind you."

   " Oh, okay," Willow replied slyly. " C'mon, Tara."

   As soon as both girls were at a safe distance, Buffy pressed herself against Giles' body.

   " Why can't my tutorial be Giles 101?" she asked with a pout.

   Giles kissed the tip of her nose. 

   " There are more important things in life than 'cute guys', love," he murmured.

   " I know," Buffy answered. She gave him a sultry smile. " But I'm so gonna make up for it tonight. You are coming to the Bronze tonight, aren't you?"

   Giles hesitated. " Well –"

   " If you'd rather not – I mean, I know it's not really your scene – but there's always a band on Saturday nights – before the DJ – and, and you like live music –"

   " Buffy," Giles interrupted gently. Buffy blushed.

   " Sorry," she said sheepishly. " Again with the babbling."

   " I'd be delighted to go to the Bronze with you," Giles told her. He shifted awkwardly, looked away, and then looked back at her. " It's just… the last time I was there, I got the distinct impression that I wasn't wanted."

   Buffy frowned for a few moments before realizing what he meant.

   " Oh." She looked at the ground. " Well – it's different now."

   Suddenly Giles was filled with a deep sense of cold unease – the niggling feeling's bigger, scarier brother. There was something very wrong here, and in just a few more seconds, he would figure out what it was – but Buffy was pulling his head down for another kiss, and as her lips touched his, the feeling melted away. 

   " So you're coming to the Bronze?" Buffy murmured.

   Giles nuzzled her neck. Buffy giggled.

   " Hey, is that a yes?"

   Giles lifted his head and kissed her on the forehead. " Yes." He gazed down at her and smiled. " What time?"

   " Be at the dorm at seven," Buffy replied. " I feel like being escorted."

   " And should I bring flowers or chocolates?" Giles teased.

   " Just your sexy Giles-y self," Buffy answered.

   His smile widened. " As you wish, my dear."

***

   " Okay, guys." Buffy did a quick twirl. " Whaddya think?"

   " Looks great," Willow declared, looking at Buffy's black slacks and white top ensemble.

   " You sure?" Buffy asked uncertainly. " 'Cos, I was thinking about this black top…" She held up said garment in front of her.

   " It's fine," Willow repeated with a grin.

   " Yeah, but if you were going out with a girl, and she showed up dressed like me, would it drive you wild with desire?" Buffy asked. " Or would an all black outfit be hotter?"

   Willow and Tara exchanged nervous glances, which Buffy completely missed.

   " W-won't the white top end up… um… s-s-see through?"

   " Ooh, good point," Buffy replied. " Then the white stays."

   Tara gave Willow a worried look.

   There was a rap on the dorm room door. 

   " He's here!" Buffy squeaked. " He's here, he's here, he's here…" She rushed to the mirror to check her hair.

   " Buffy, answer the door!" Willow giggled.

  Buffy took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Composed, she walked to the door and opened it.

   " Buffy…" Giles took in her outfit. He smiled. " You look stunning."

   " Wow, Giles," Buffy replied, gazing at him appreciatively. He wore a plain black T-shirt, a black denim shirt, and dark blue jeans – jeans that were a little snugger than his usual ones. " Mmm, cologne." She stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek. " Let's go."

   Willow and Tara stood up.

   " Ladies first," Giles declared, standing aside to let them out.

   " He's such a gentleman," Tara murmured to Willow.

   " Uh-huh," Willow answered. " Don't make 'em like that any more."

   The quartet headed down the corridor and out of the building, Tara and Willow in front, with Buffy and Giles a few feet behind. Giles put his arm around Buffy's waist. Buffy did likewise.

   " New jeans?" she asked.

   " Oh, damn," Giles said. He looked down at himself. " Did I leave the tags on?"

   " So they *are* new," Buffy giggled. She slid her hand down and squeezed his bottom. " I like 'em."

   " You know," Giles murmured, " since we work together, that *could* be considered sexual harassment."

   " Well you shouldn't have such a harrassable butt then," Buffy teased.

   Willow glanced back at the couple behind them. Giles was whispering into Buffy's ear. The Slayer's grin broadened, and then she slapped him playfully on the arm. Both of them began to laugh. Willow smiled. It was good to see both her friends so happy.

   " They look good together," Tara remarked, following Willow's gaze. " Really right, you-you know?"

   " Yeah," Willow agreed.

   " Um… so, e-explain it to me again?"

   " Oh, okay. This sorcerer friend of Giles' cast a spell so that Giles would look younger. Well, when I say friend, he's not really a friend – well, they used to be friends way back in the Seventies, but since then there's been badness…"

There was a sudden shriek from behind them. Both girls turned around. Buffy was staring at Giles in disbelief, pointing at something on his head.

   " You have an earring!"

   Giles blinked a few times. " Yes?"

   " Okay, new jeans, new cologne, but an earring too?" Buffy asked incredulously. She grinned slyly. " Did you get some tattoos to go with it?"

   " Buffy, I got my ear pierced years ago," Giles explained. " It was quite the done thing back in the 1970s for young men who wanted to, ah, rebel."

   " How come I never noticed it before?" Buffy asked, staring at the gold hoop in Giles' left ear.

   " Because I didn't think it was appropriate to wear an earring while at work," Giles replied.

   " Aw, I'm sure you could've found a stuffy librarian-y tweed earring somewhere," Buffy teased.

   " Right," Giles declared. He disentangled himself from Buffy and stepped away from her. " Just for that, I'm revoking all your arse-grabbing privileges."

   " Oh yeah, like you could stop me," Buffy replied. She dove at him. Willow giggled as Buffy chased Giles along the street. Buffy caught up with Giles quickly, grabbing him round the waist with one arm and groping him with the other. Groping quickly turned into kissing and more groping. Tara ducked her head shyly, not wanting to intrude. Willow shook her head and linked arms with the blonde witch.

   " C'mon, you two," she called, tugging Giles' sleeve. " You can do that out on the dance floor like regular people."

   " Xander, I'm cold," Anya whinged. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to find some warmth in her pink flimsy sweater. " Can't we just wait inside?"

   " Be patient, Ahn," Xander replied. He checked his watch. " They'll be here any minute."

   Anya pouted, then spotted the group coming up the street.

   " Hey, there they are!" she yelled excitedly.

   " Hi guys!" Willow called. 

   " Hey," Xander replied. He looked at Giles and did a double take. " Giles, is that you? You look…"

   " Can we *please* go inside now?" Anya demanded.

   Xander gave a defeated shrug. " I guess so." As the rest of the gang headed in, he frowned in puzzlement. " How come Buffy's got her hand on Giles' butt?"

   " Oh, Buffy…"

   Buffy looked up as Giles halted just inside the door. She followed his gaze to the stage. A throng of people was jumping up and down in front of it.

   " A mosh pit," Giles said delightedly, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He grabbed Buffy's hand. " Come on, let's join in!"

   Buffy couldn't help giggling – he was like an excited little boy. She let him pull her over to the crowd. Anya grabbed Xander and followed, leaving Willow and Tara dancing among the less rowdy patrons.

   Giles and Buffy pushed their way into the middle of the mass of jumping people. Buffy tapped Giles on the shoulder.

   " Check it out!" she shouted into his ear, pointing to a youth sporting long triangular spikes of green hair on one side of his head, and closely cropped platinum hair on the other. " Extreme, huh?"

   " I think I'll grow my hair long again!" Giles shouted back. " Down to my shoulders!"

   " I can just see Mom's face!" Buffy laughed.

   A crowd-surfer in faded black jeans passed overhead.

   " Did you get his wallet?" Giles yelled.

   Buffy gave him a push.

   " Yippee!"

   Anya gave the punk in front of her a hefty shove. " Isn't this great, Xander?"

   Xander stopped jumping and tried to catch his breath. A girl with blue hair crashed into him and sent him sprawling on the floor. Two guys in ripped T-shirts and with bad teenage moustaches hauled him to his feet.

   " Thanks, fellas," Xander acknowledged, wincing. He tugged gently at Anya's arm. "C'mon, let's get outa here."

   " But why?" Anya pouted. " I was just starting to get warmed up…"

   The band switched to a ballad. The moshers settled down and began to sway to the music. Buffy felt Giles pressing something small and metallic into her hand.

   " Lighter," he explained. Buffy smiled. She lit it and held it aloft.

   The band played a few more songs, then the singer approached the microphone.

   " Goodnight, Sunnydale, you've been a terrific audience!"

   Giles made a small disappointed noise and joined about half a dozen other people in chanting " One more tune". The DJ took over and the crowd dispersed.

   " Oh no," Buffy said glumly.

   " What's wrong?"

   " I'm all sweaty," Buffy answered. " Major disaster when you're on a date."

   " Well, I'm all sweaty too," Giles replied. He kissed her wetly on the mouth. " So it would be rather hypocritical of me to hold it against you." He slung an arm around her shoulders. "Let's find the others."

   Buffy scanned the tables near the dance floor. " There they are."

   The couple ambled over to where Willow, Tara, Xander and Anya were sitting.

   " Where did you get to?" Giles asked.

   " Xander got tired," Anya replied matter-of-factly.

   " I did not!" Xander protested indignantly.

   " Plus he fell on his butt."

   " Exactly," Xander agreed. He squeezed Anya's hand. " There was a lot of pushing and shoving going on in there. I didn't want you to get hurt."

   " Aww." Anya smiled sweetly at her boyfriend. " In that case, I completely take back what I said about you not having any stamina." She looked round at the others. " I didn't mean stamina in a sexual sense, of course. Let me tell you, Xander can come and go all night –"

   " Ahn, please, that's enough," Xander said, reddening.

   Anya frowned. " I thought men liked everyone to know about their sexual prowess." Xander buried his face in his hands. " NOW what's wrong?"

   Giles and Buffy shared a smile.

   " Sit down, guys," Willow invited. " Oh – there's only one chair…"

   " I'll get another," Xander said quickly. He turned away to get a seat from a nearby table. " Okay, here ya…" He turned back to see Giles sitting on the chair, and Buffy climbing into his lap. Xander blinked a couple of times. " Okay. Buffy, you do know that's Giles, right?"

   " Uh-huh," Buffy replied, draping her arm around Giles' neck. " Why?"

   Xander held up his hands. " No reason."

   " Good."

   Buffy leaned up and pressed her lips against Giles'. Xander turned quickly to Willow and Tara.

   " So guys, how's college working out?"

   Buffy finished kissing Giles and laid her head against his shoulder while the others talked. She still couldn't get over his earring. Idly she wondered what it would be like to suck it. She slid her hand up and played with his hair. Giles had nice hair – soft and thick, that curled a bit at the end. Plenty of girls would kill to have hair like that. Buffy wondered if Giles had ever dyed it. She shifted around on his lap. Giles cleared his throat and tightened his hold on her waist.

   " Please don't do that," he whispered.

   " Why?" Buffy asked quietly. She moved a little and felt his erection against her bottom. " Giles," she murmured teasingly, giving a slight wiggle.

   " Please, love," Giles begged softly.

   " Don't you like it?"

   " Too much," Giles replied, blushing a bit.

   " Oh." Buffy moved so that she was sitting on his knee. She kissed his cheek. " Sorry."

   " It's all right," Giles assured her. Buffy put her head back on Giles' shoulder and breathed in the scent of his cologne, intermingled with his usual smell. She noted with amusement that even young Giles smelled of books.

   Abruptly the DJ switched from dance music to a slow number.

   " Cooled down yet?" Buffy whispered.

   " Yes." Giles cleared his throat awkwardly.

   Buffy jumped off his knee.****

   " Dance with me?"

   A smile spread across Giles' face. He took Buffy's hand and allowed her to lead him onto the dance-floor.

   They swayed together to the music, hands round each other's waists. Giles grinned as Buffy slid one hand down to cup his butt.

   " You, my dear, have a fetish," he chuckled.

   " Can you blame me for my yummy new obsession?" Buffy asked with a smile.

   He chuckled again. " You'll give me a swelled head."

   " You got one of those last night," Buffy teased.

   " What?" Giles thought for a moment, then grinned as he understood. " Oh! Oh, yes."

   Buffy traced a finger up Giles' chest.

   " So what was with all that mosh pit stuff?" she asked. " I so would never have pictured you doing anything like that."

   " Oh, I've been a fan of rock music for the past thirty years," Giles replied. " It's just that if a twentysomething leaps about shouting at a concert, people chalk it up to youthful exuberance. A fortysomething does the same thing, and people shake their heads and mutter, 'Who's he trying to kid?'" He looked a little sad. Buffy reached up and stroked his cheek.

   " People suck," she remarked softly.

   Giles gave her a smile, and slid one hand up her back. Buffy leaned her head against him. She'd always been attracted to tall guys. She wasn't exactly sure why – it wasn't like she needed a Big Strong Man to protect her. But there was something about being held in a pair of long, muscular arms, close to a broad, hard chest, that made Buffy feel all girly. And when you spent most nights fighting monsters, it was nice to know you were still a woman. She let out a small sigh of pleasure.

   " I wanted to dance with you at your prom, you know," Giles murmured in her ear.

   " You did?" Buffy lifted her head and stared at him. 

   " Very much, yes."

   Buffy frowned. " So why didn't you?"

   Giles caressed her hair.

   " Buffy, Angel had broken up with you, the others were all there with their… 'honies', and you'd just single-handedly fought off a pack of Hellhounds," he replied. " The last thing I wanted to do was completely ruin your evening by having all your classmates see you dance with the stuffy old librarian."

   Buffy flashed a small, brief smile.

   " Maybe I wouldn't have minded," she said.

   " I finally plucked up the courage to ask you, you know," Giles went on. " Wesley was wibbling on about whether or not it would be proper to dance with Cordelia, and I told him to stop dithering and just ask her. And as I was saying the words, I thought 'Why don't you take your own advice, you bloody great idiot?' So I went over to you…"

   " I remember," Buffy murmured.

   " Of course," Giles remarked ruefully, " by the time we finished the small talk and I got around to actually asking you…"

   " Angel showed," Buffy finished.

   Giles nodded sadly.

   Buffy smiled. " Hey, cheer up," she told him. " We're dancing now."

   He smiled back. Buffy pulled his head down, fusing their lips together. Giles held her a little closer to him, one hand in her hair, the other pressed to the small of her back. Both of Buffy's hands found their way onto Giles' ass.

   " Okay, they know they're in a public place, right?" Xander remarked.

   Willow slapped him on the arm. " Xander! It's cute."

   Anya stood up and pulled Xander to his feet.

   " I'm tired of watching those two drooling all over each other," she declared. " If Buffy gets to grope Giles' hiney, then I get to grope yours."

   Willow suppressed a giggle as Anya hauled Xander onto the dance floor.

   Buffy broke the kiss and rested her head against Giles' shoulder, and thought back over the last few days. She couldn't believe she'd never seen this side of Giles before. All this time she'd happily pegged him as 'Watcher': stuffy, boring, serious, prim 'n' proper. She hadn't had a clue that he could be flirty, or funny, or silly… or very, very sexy. Her skin tingled and her tummy did flip-flops. Buffy sighed happily into Giles' T-shirt.

   " Having a good time?" he murmured huskily.

   " Uh-huh." _//Just wait till I get you home…//_ Buffy frowned. _//Hey, you've only been with him for a few days, and you're seriously thinking about jumping his bones? Slutty much?//_ Buffy pouted. _//But I wanna! //_

   " Penny for them?"

   Buffy blushed a bit and giggled shyly.

   " Oh, they're like that, are they?" Giles teased.

   " Wouldn't you like to know?" Buffy replied.

   The song finished and was replaced by techno music. Giles let go of Buffy and stepped away.

   " I'll be back in a minute, love," he told her. " Call of nature." He headed off towards the men's room. Buffy wandered over to the stairs to wait for him.

***

   Giles washed his hands, whistling. He gazed at himself in the mirror, then sprinkled some water on his hair and tidied himself up a little. He couldn't remember the last time he'd enjoyed himself this much. He checked his fly and then headed out of the bathroom and down the corridor back to the dance floor.

   Giles wasn't sure what made him pause when he heard Buffy and Willow talking. He stopped just inside the darkened mouth of the corridor and listened.

   " So is this the best date ever?" Willow was asking.

   " It's up there," Buffy replied airily. She lowered her voice a little. " There is one thing that would make it *the* best date ever…"

   " If Giles invited you back to his place for a cup of tea and maybe something more?"

   Giles blushed and bit his lip. He took a deep breath and let it out, trying to calm the butterflies in his stomach.

   " Mm-hmm. Unless I'm moving too fast. Do you think I'm moving too fast?"

   Willow giggled. " Sounds like you've really got it bad for Giles."

   " You said it, Will," Buffy agreed. " I want him…" She lowered her voice, embarrassed. " … like, really want him." She sighed. " Who knew Giles was such a hottie when he was younger?"

   Giles felt as if his insides had turned to stone. The niggling feeling at the back of his mind had just been given shape and form.

   Buffy lusted him.

   She didn't love him.

   Giles sagged back against the wall, realising that a part of him had known this all along. But he'd been so glad that Buffy actually felt something for him that he'd pushed the suspicions away. 

" Hey, Giles!"

   He looked up and saw Buffy gazing right at him. 

   " Hope you're not taking up lurking as a hobby, 'cause the last time I dated a guy who was into that … it didn't turn out so good."

   Giles forced a smile and emerged from the shadows.

   " See you guys later," Willow said slyly, then sauntered off. Buffy put her arms around Giles' neck and he automatically put his hands on her waist.

   " Things are kinda winding down here," she said. " I was thinking of going on a late patrol. You wanna join me?"

   Giles looked down at her. He remembered all the time they'd spent together since his transformation. He remembered how they'd kissed for the first time in the training room. He breathed in her perfume, and thought about how good her body felt pressed against his. He imagined how much better she would feel when their clothes weren't in the way, and felt his cock shift slightly in response. He'd wanted all this for a long time. Now Buffy wanted it too.

   Did it really make a difference if she loved him or not?

   " Well?" Buffy asked. " You wanna come with?"

   Giles licked his lips, his mouth suddenly dry.

   " I – I don't feel up to it tonight," he managed. " I'm a – a little tired."

   " Oh." Buffy looked disappointed. " Is it okay if I swing by your house afterwards?"

   " Yes," Giles replied. He tilted her chin up towards him and gazed into her eyes. Then he kissed her.

   " I love you more than anything in the world," he whispered. " I want you to know that."

   Buffy frowned up at him in puzzlement. " Yeah, I know." She stroked his neck. " Sure you won't come with me?"

   Giles nodded. " I'm sure."

   Buffy kissed him on the cheek. " I guess I'll see you later."

   Giles watched as she walked towards the exit, waving goodbye to the rest of the gang. He turned away and ran a hand through his hair.

   He had a decision to make.

***

   Buffy sauntered out of the cemetery. It was a quiet night, slay-wise, but that suited her just fine. The sooner she finished, the sooner she could go round to Giles' place. Although… he *had* been acting a little weird in the Bronze. And he hadn't wanted to patrol with her. Was 'a little tired' code for 'let's slow things down' or 'I'm not interested'? But then he'd told her he loved her, and he'd said she could come by his house when she was finished. Buffy sighed. _//Great time to start acting like a guy and giving me mixed signals, Giles.//_

   She continued down the street towards the next graveyard. Suddenly something on the other side of the road caught her eye.

   It was Giles. 

   With Ethan Rayne.

The pair were a few yards ahead of her, walking along the street in the same direction as Buffy was. Suddenly filled with foreboding, Buffy followed them at a distance.

   She trailed them to a seedy-looking motel. Buffy waited until the pair went inside, then snuck up to the window and crouched under the window ledge. She struggled to make out the muffled voices coming from within.

   " I'll never understand you, Ripper," Ethan sighed. " You've got what you wanted. I've seen you and Buffy together. She loves you now. Why change it?"

   " That's just it," Giles said with a sigh. " I wanted Buffy to love me for me. And this," he gestured to himself, " this isn't me any more." He closed his eyes. " Make me the way I was."

   Ethan knew it was pointless to argue with Ripper once he'd made up his mind. It didn't stop him from trying, though.

   " You know, it doesn't have to be a complete reversal," he said. " I could keep some things smooth, some things… firm –"

   Giles glared at him. " Just reverse the spell, Ethan."

   Beaten, Ethan nodded.

   " It's going to hurt," he warned. " You body's going to age twenty years in a few seconds."

   Giles braced himself and nodded. Ethan approached him and kissed him on the forehead. Then he stepped back and muttered the incantation.

   Giles roared in pain as the spell took effect. Hairs fell out and grey ones grew in their place. The room blurred as his eyesight worsened. Bones broke and then rehealed. Old wounds opened up and then scarred over almost instantly. Abruptly the pain vanished. Giles stumbled and fell to his knees.

   " Ripper?" Ethan knelt next to him, staring at him worriedly. " Ripper, are you all right?"

   " Yes…" Giles took a moment to catch his breath, and looked up at Ethan. " Yes, I'm fine." He allowed Ethan to help him up. The warlock was surprised when Giles enveloped him in a hug.

   " Thanks for trying to help me," Giles mumbled. The two pulled away, suddenly feeling awkward. For a moment neither of them said anything. Then Giles patted Ethan on the arm.

   " Let me know when you're in town again, won't you?"

   Ethan grinned. " I guarantee you'll hear from me." 

   Giles managed a faint smile. Ethan's grin faded.

   " Good luck, Rupert," he said quietly.

   Giles nodded and headed for the door.

   Buffy heard the doorknob turning. Quickly, she darted behind a parked car. She watched as Giles walked by, shoulders hunched, head down. Once he was out of sight, Buffy stood up. She stared after him for a few minutes, then turned and headed in the opposite direction.

   Buffy wandered back into town, her thoughts going in circles. So this was why Giles had been so 'off' when they'd said goodbye. He must have decided to undo the spell. But he'd been in such a good mood only minutes before. What had happened? And why reverse the spell now? Why reverse it at all?

   A trash can fell over and the sound of a cat yowling cut through the night air. The sudden noise snapped Buffy out of her reverie. She looked up and realised she was standing outside Giles' apartment complex. Buffy covered her face with her hands and gave a low groan. Well, there was one way to get an answer to her questions.

   She tiptoed down the steps and paused in front of his door. She already knew what she would find, but still she hesitated. Why had he done it? Buffy steeled herself and pushed the door open. 

   " Giles?"

   His voice emanated from the kitchen. " Buffy. Please, sit down."

   Buffy made her way into the darkened lounge. " Where are you?"

   He emerged from the kitchen, cradling a glass of whiskey in one hand. He was his old self again, the light from the single lamp casting shadows on his face, highlighting the worry lines on his forehead. The baggy sweater he wore hid his shape, in stark contrast to the deliciously tight T-shirts he'd been wearing earlier in the week. His green eyes were once more locked behind glass. And he looked so sad.

   " What happened?" Buffy asked, trying to be surprised.

   Giles had a mouthful of whiskey, and shrugged his shoulders.

   " The spell wore off," he said.

   " Liar."

   He looked at Buffy in surprise as she came towards him.

   " You asked Ethan to take it off," she accused. " I saw you two talking." Giles looked away and brought his glass to his lips again. " Give me that!" Buffy grabbed his drink and put it on the counter. She turned to him again, trying to get him to look at her. He avoided her eyes and ended up staring at a particular point on the carpet a few feet away to the left. " Why did you do it, Giles?" she asked softly.

   A brief, sad smile flickered across Giles' face.

   " Because it wasn't real."

   Buffy looked at him in puzzlement.

   " What wasn't real?" she asked. Giles shifted uncomfortably, glanced at her and then looked away. It was enough to make Buffy understand. " My feelings for you weren't real?" Her voice rose. " How can you say that?"

   " Be honest, Buffy," Giles replied softly. " If this hadn't happened, would you ever have considered me as a potential lover?" He paused. " Or would I forever have been 'the old guy'?"

   Buffy looked away, knowing the answer, but not wanting to admit it.

   Giles ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. " Buffy, I've been in love with you for such a long time. These past few days have been the happiest in my life." His eyes stung suddenly and he paused, trying to get his emotions under control. "But if it took a spell to make you feel about me the way I feel about you, then it's all just an illusion." He put his hands on his chest. " This is *me*, Buffy. I'm old, and grey, and worn and scarred…" He swallowed the lump in his throat that threatened to choke him. "I'm not the man you fell in love with."

   Buffy stepped closer and looked up at him. The expression on his face almost broke her heart. She closed her eyes, put her arms around his waist, and laid her head on his chest. She took a deep breath and let it out.

   " You smell like him," she murmured. She slid her hands down, cupping his butt. " Feel like him." She gave it a squeeze and he moaned softly. " Sound like him." She reached up and pulled his head down to hers. She pressed her lips to his, and after a few seconds he responded, deepening the kiss, his arms going around her. The kiss ended, and Buffy pulled away slightly.

   " Taste like him." She opened her eyes and looked up at her Watcher. She reached up and gently pulled his glasses off. Buffy stared into the deep green pools, reading confusion, fear, sadness and love. He was so sure she wouldn't want him. Blinking back tears, she stroked his brown and silver hair.

   " Do I really act that shallow?" she murmured.

   " It's not your fault," Giles replied. " I know I'm hardly love's young dream. I'm just glad I got to show you I was handsome once upon a time…"

   " You still are," Buffy said softly.

   " Oh."

   Buffy saw his lip tremble. She stood on tiptoe and kissed him again. He sobbed into her mouth and crushed her against him. Buffy pushed her hands under his sweater, over his soft tummy, up to his powerful chest. Now that she had something to compare him to, she realised just how well he'd aged. Buffy pulled away to look up at him. She brushed away the few tears that had slipped down his cheeks.

   " I know you don't look like the guy who…" Buffy smiled self-consciously. "… whose bellybutton I wanted to lick the first time I saw him." Giles managed a brief chuckle, despite himself. " But you are the guy who made me laugh. And you're the guy who stood up for me when Riley insulted me. You're the guy who holds doors and likes to read and who knows me better than anyone else." She took his hand. " And you still make me melt when you kiss me. The rest doesn't matter. I love you, Giles."

   He took her hand, and drew a deep breath.

   " That's… sweet of you to say, Buffy," he told her. " But – if, if you don't find me…" He looked away. " … um, phys-physically attractive, then there's only so far we can –"

   Buffy led him to the couch and sat down. She patted the seat next to her. 

   " Come sit with me," she invited.

   Nervously, Giles did so. He glanced at her briefly, then stared at his lap in apprehension. Buffy reached out and cupped his cheek. 

   " Giles, look at me."

   He turned to face her. 

   " I'm just gonna take your sweater off, okay?" Buffy said.

   " Um…"

   " Please let me," Buffy said softly.

   Giles swallowed and nodded. Buffy took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She grasped the ends of his sweater and T-shirt tightly, then pulled them up and off in one quick motion. She dropped them on the floor and gazed at Giles' naked chest.

   Giles bit the inside of his lip and watched Buffy's face, bracing himself for the inevitable grimace of revulsion. He felt exposed and vulnerable, and it was an effort not to try and cover himself with his hands. He closed his eyes and waited for Buffy to go "Eww!"

   He flinched when he felt her fingers on his chest. The fingers pulled away briefly, but then returned, stroking the smattering of hair on his pectorals. Giles opened his eyes and watched Buffy caressing him.

   Buffy had to admit, she was pleasantly surprised. Okay, so Giles' body wasn't all chiselled and sculpted any more. His muscles were still well defined, and his chest was still broad and hard. And okay, his stomach was a little soft, but he wasn't fat. There was a lot to like.

   " Anyone ever tell you you're in great shape, Giles?" she asked.

   His expression changed to one of surprise. " I – I am?"

   " Uh-huh." Buffy flicked her thumb across one of his nipples, and smiled when Giles made a small noise of surprise and pleasure. " You're nice." She laid her head against his chest, and ran a finger along his stomach. " I like."

   " You really mean that, don't you," Giles remarked in wonder.

   Buffy looked up at him. " Wouldn't say it if I didn't." She sat up properly, then took Giles' hand and placed it against her breast.

   " Oh." Giles blushed, gulped and cleared his throat. " Um, Buffy, wh-what exactly, uh, are we doing?"

   " Well, the kids call it 'making out'," Buffy teased, smiling at him.

   Giles managed a weak grin. He gazed down at his bare chest, then stared at where his hand was.

   " Seems rather heavy for making out."

   " That's kinda 'cause I wanna do more than make out," Buffy confessed.

   " Ah."

   " But we don't have to if you don't want to," she added quickly.

   Giles gazed at her, then slid his other hand into her hair and leaned in to kiss her. Buffy moaned at the feel of his warm tongue in her mouth. The hand at her breast gently massaged the soft swell of flesh, then it moved to her buttons, undoing just enough of them to allow it to slip inside her blouse. Giles broke the kiss and groaned softly.

   " No bra?" he asked in astonishment.

   Buffy blushed a bit at her brazenness. Giles wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer, gazing down at her bosom. 

   " Good Lord, how did I not notice?"

   Buffy placed both her hands on Giles' thighs and began to rub them slowly, enjoying the feel of his powerful muscles underneath the denim. Boldly, she ran a finger up the inseam, making him groan loudly. She stopped when she reached his straining flies.

   " Wanna go upstairs?"

   Instead of answering her, Giles picked her up and headed for the staircase.

***

   Buffy opened her eyes. It was still dark outside, but the navy sky was slowly changing to a lighter blue. Giles was lying on his stomach beside her, eyes closed, his face half-buried in the pillow. Buffy reached out and stroked his broad, warm back. 

  " You asleep?"

   Giles opened an eye.

   " Just resting," he replied. He grinned. " Getting my strength back." He rolled onto his back and drew her into his arms. Buffy traced a finger along his bicep.

   " Still droolworthy," she sighed. " I can't believe I never noticed before." She slid her hand up and played with his fuzzy chest hair. " We shoulda done this a long time ago."

   " Mmm." Giles tilted his head and smelled her hair. " I think your mum and the police might've had something to say about that, love."

   " Mom still might've something to say about it," Buffy replied.

   Giles grimaced. " A conversation I'm not looking forward to."

   " Don't worry," Buffy told him. " Okay, Mom won't be too happy at first, and it's probably better if we don't mention tonight when we tell her, and you'll probably be her least favourite person for a while…"

   " I thought you said not to worry," Giles answered dryly.

   Buffy slapped him lightly on the arm.

   " I'm getting to that part," she answered, mock-sternly. " But she knows you, Giles. She knows you wouldn't take advantage of me. And once she sees that I'm happy, and you're treating me right, she'll come round." She made herself comfortable against him. "Same goes for Willow and Xander."

   " I suppose you're right," Giles replied.

   " Course I am," Buffy answered. " The people who care about us will be okay with this. And the people who don't care about us…" She shrugged her shoulders. " …don't matter."

   " Mmm." Giles trailed his fingers up and down her arm.

   " There is just one thing though."

   " Hmm?"

   Buffy gazed up at him.

   " If I *ever* see you wearing something as fugly as that sweater you had on earlier, I'm gonna rip it off and burn it."

   Giles laughed and pulled her on top of him.

   " I shall hold you to that, my dear."

The End

-^)--)~

An NC-17 version of this fic can be found at adultfanfiction.net, story no. 6443


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